


Lucy's Quest

by LucyCrewe11 (Raphaela_Crowley)



Series: Lucy's Quest [1]
Category: Chronicles of Narnia (Movies), Chronicles of Narnia - All Media Types, Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, Love Triangles, Unrelated Pevensies, Yeah it's basically a Narnian Telenovela
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:21:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 50,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27595415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raphaela_Crowley/pseuds/LucyCrewe11
Summary: When Aslan doesn't come roaring in and save them, the three older Pevensies despair. Peter joins the Telmarine army. Can Lucy find Aslan, rescue her brother from a terrible fate, and save Narnia?
Relationships: Caspian/Susan Pevensie, Edmund Pevensie/Lucy Pevensie, Peter Pevensie/Susan Pevensie
Series: Lucy's Quest [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2017352
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Written in November/December 2008

_Prologue_

"King Frank, your majesty, rise up and make haste!" A horrified voice called out.

King Frank sat up in bed. Someone was pounding on the bed chamber walls. The panicked voice was familiar. It must have been someone he knew well.

Queen Helen, who'd been laying beside him sat up and looked at her husband wide-eyed. "What do you suppose is going on?"

"I don't know, Nellie." He answered, getting up out of bed and fast-walking to the door.

"Hurry, my king!" The voice behind the door pleaded.

"Master Koreen, is that you?" The king asked, unlatching the door, "Whatever is the matter?"

Master Koreen, a faun and a trusted adviser to the king stood there shaking all over. "The castle is under attack!"

"How is that possible?" King Frank asked him. "There's been nothing but peace in Narnia for ever so long."

"Well it's over now!" The faun cried. "The rebels are attacking the closed draw bridge as we speak."

"Oh, Frank!" Wailed the queen. "What's going to happen to us?"

The king remained calm. "Please, Master Koreen, what sort of creatures are these?"

"I'm not sure, they may be human, or they may be simply foolish creatures of Narnia gone back to their wild ways. They wear such dark armor that I can't quite make out their shape on this cursed dark night. There's hardly even any moonlight." Master Koreen explained.

"We must fight them." King Frank said bravely.

"Frank, you don't know how to fight!" Cried Helen. "I don't want to lose you."

"Hush, Nellie, my love, for this must be done." He told her. "It's a matter of safety and honor. We promised to be a good king and Queen. I promised Aslan I'd be the first to go off to battle and the last to retreat, did I not?"

"Yes," Helen sighed. "You did make a promise, and you must keep it. But do be save, my love."

"Now," Frank was saying. "We must get you and the children to a safe place."

"The children, yes." Helen agreed. "But not I, I shall stand by you in battle with my own bow and arrows."

"You will do no such thing." King Frank argued.

"I will." Helen insisted stubbornly.

"But Nellie!" He pleaded. "You could be hurt. And who will watch the children and see that they are kept away from this battle?"

Helen thought it over for a moment. "Master Koreen shall do that."

"Me?" The faun gasped. "Not I!"

"As queen, I order to you do it." Helen told him firmly.

Master Koreen shook his head. "My queen, I mean no disrespect to you or your beloved children, but surely you understand that I cannot care for the little darlings? I'm not a motherly person, my queen. Nor a fatherly one for that matter either. I would be best used as a fighter."

The queen hardened her stare. "Master Koreen, you are their tutor and I know you are good to them, you will go to them at once-you're a bit old to fight anyway, you must remember that-and take then through the secret underground passages that leads to the great caves in the north."

"I?" the faun looked very nervous. "Not a nursemaid perhaps?"

"No, no, no." Helen said, getting up and putting her dressing-gown over her night-clothes. "You take them, and bring them back when we send word. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my queen." Master Koreen muttered as he raced down the hall to the nursery where the five children slept. As he ran, he continued to mutter. "Leaves me with the children, me! What's a mess this is turning into!"

The four children were all lovely. The eldest was a boy who looked almost exactly like King Frank but like his mother, Helen around the eyes. He had chestnut brown hair and black eyes. His name was Omar. he was ten years old.

The second eldest was also a boy. He had golden hair and bright green eyes the color of grass. He was very pale because he liked nothing better than to sit inside all day reading. His name was Len, he was eight and a half years old.

The third child was a girl, the only daughter of Frank and Helen. She had bright blue eyes and long black hair. She was timid and gentle by nature and motherly in spite of her tender age. Her name was Susan, she wasn't yet five years old.

The last child was the baby of the family at only two years old. He could both walk and crawl. He had dark hair like his sister. His name was Edmund.

All of the children had their own bed. Perfectly soft, stuffed with swan feathers. But more often, they liked to share, simply to be close to one another. During the day the could fight and even hate one another. At night they couldn't even dislike each other even a little.

All four of them were snuggled together in the bed of the oldest boy, Omar, because it was the biggest one. They were startled when the door swung open and Master Koreen stood there.

Edmund began to cry.

"Shh...dear brother, it's alright, there there." Susan tried to calm him.

"What are you doing here, tutor?" Omar demanded. "you've gone and frightened us half to death. Do you expect us to be bright and alert for lessons if you are intent on waking us up at this hour?"

"My prince, the castle is under attack." Master Koreen explained. "You must all come with me, we are to go into hiding."

"Not, I!" Omar said. "I shall fight."

"No, you will not." Master Koreen said. "You are too young,"

Omar pouted but because he was secretly afraid, did not press the issue.

Susan and Len began packing things they would need, clothes, blankets, pillows, and some food.

"One of you must carry your youngest brother." Master Koreen instructed. "He is too little to keep up on his own."

Susan picked him up and he began howling. "Hush, Edmund." She said, not unkindly.

The faun carefully lend them down the tunnels to the safe caves of the north. It was a two day fast walk underground. They all had to keep going and going, stopping only to eat and sleep.

None of the children liked this arrangement. Omar became unbearably grumpy, Len sulked, Susan became irritated very easily, and Edmund spent more than half of the time wailing.

When they'd finally reached the caves of the north, the two eldest ran as close to the opening of the cave as they dared, desperate for a little sunlight. Master Koreen followed them. Susan set Edmund down expecting him to follow the others, but rather he went deeper into the cave as rather a fast speed for such a little baby boy.

"Edmund, come back." Susan pleaded. "We all have to stick together."

"Look!" Edmund was headed for something strange and swirlly at the darkest end of the inner most part of the cave. It looked like ripples on muddy water but on hard rocks.

"Edmund, don't!" Susan grabbed into her brother right before he could touch the swirling brown wall in front of them. However, she lost her footing and fell right into the swirling wall herself, still clutching onto her brother, thus pulling him with her. Then all was black.

When she awoke, she felt very cold. She found that this was because she was face down in snow. She felt something pulling at her scalp.

"Wake up, wake up!" the something was pleading.

"Ow!" Cried Susan. Lifting her head up out of the pile of snow, noticed her little brother, beside her pulling her hair.

Memory is a strange thing. It can be so easily effected and changed in the blink of an eye. Trauma, fear, time travel, world travel, and much more can effect and change it.

With out knowing it, Susan had traveled through time and had landed in another world that wasn't Narnia. A world in which there was a place called England. It was nighttime there.

And whether it was because she hit her head or else if the was the shock of the whole thing, She found she could not remember anything other than that her name was Susan and the little boy beside her was Edmund. She did not remember her parents, her country, her two other brothers, or the fact that she was a princess.

She wondered why she could not remember anything and became fearful. Why was she in the snow wearing a long velvet green-and-black gown? And what was that silver ring on her thumb? It had a carving of a lion on it, but she hadn't a clue as to where she had gotten the ring to begin with. She did not remember her mother, Queen Helen giving it to her when she turned two years old.

Looking around her, Susan saw many well lit, warm looking houses. She was on a sidewalk beside a row of them. She also noticed strange things going back and forth in the road in front of her. She had no way of knowing they were only cars. She thought they might be anything and was afraid.

In one of the houses there lived a woman named Helen Pevensie, her Husband, Mr. Pevensie, and their two children, Peter and Lucy. Peter was only a year older than Queen Helen's daughter, Princess Susan. Lucy was about a year old.

Peter was very fond of his baby sister and spent even more time with her than Mr. and Mrs. Pevensie did. He was pretty good with little children even though he was only about six years old himself.

On this snowy, snowy night, he had been sitting by the fire playing peek-a-boo with Lucy.

By the third or fourth time he'd said "Pee-a-boo!" Lucy figured out that even when he covered his face, he hadn't actually disappeared and lost all interest in the game. And decided on a new game of "Let's tap my brother on the head over and over again until he gets fed up and goes to look out the window"

Looking out the window Peter saw two shivering figures. A little girl not much younger than himself and a little boy not much older than his baby sister. They looked so cold and alone. He had little doubt that they were crying.

His father had fallen asleep reading in the rocking chair and his mother had been tired and gone to bed early.

The little boy and girl noticed him looking out at them through the window. They looked back at him sadly.

The poor things, Peter thought, why should Lucy and I get to be warm and comfortable in there while those poor children freeze to death out there?

So he went to the side door and called them over. "Hullo."

"Hullo." Susan said, politely.

"My name is Peter." He told her. "What's yours?"

"I'm Susan, and this is my little brother Edmund." Susan explained.

"Hi!" Edmund waved at him.

"Where do you come from?" Peter asked her.

Susan shrugged. "I don't know, I can't remember, maybe Edmund does." She looked to her brother, "Do you remember?"

Edmund blinked at her. He couldn't quite remember either. And if he did, it wasn't very clearly.

"You both look cold." Peter told them, opening the door wider for them to get in. "Why don't you come in and get warm?"

"Oh, may we?" Susan cried happily, seizing her brother's hand and leading him into the warm home of the Pevensies.

Susan sat by the fireplace and folded the dress over her feet before edging a bit closer to the warm fire.

"That's a nice dress." Peter noticed. "I couldn't tell the way you had it all bunched up before."

"It is, isn't it?" Susan agreed. It was pretty grand looking now that the snow it had been covered in was melting off.

"I'll go get some blankets for you and your brother." Peter told her, heading for the hall closet.

Lucy, noticing the new people present, crawled over to them.

"Hi." Edmund said to her.

She sat next to him and smiled, resting her head on Susan's left arm. Peter joined the group moments later. And just like that, the four of them bonded for life.

Needless to say, Mr. and Mrs. Pevensie were quite taken back (to put it lightly), when they found they had two more children than they'd had before going to sleep.

"We'll keep them until someone comes looking for them." Mr. Pevensie said.

And no one ever came.


	2. Back to Narnia

"Come on, Edmund, wake up!" Susan said, shaking her brother awake (Or at least, trying to do so).

"No more cheese." Edmund muttered, still asleep and dreaming. "The mice will invade and steal all the marshmallows."

"What are you talking about, Ed?" Susan asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Go away." He moaned pulling the covers up over his head.

"It's the first day of school." Susan reminded him. "We're going to miss the train."

"Great idea, whatever you say, Su." Edmund said, rolling back into a ball and crawling deeper under the covers.

Susan rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air. "I give up." She said, storming out of the room.

Peter was standing outside the door. "He still wont get up?"

"He never was a morning person." Susan reminded him.

Peter knew that perfectly well. Even in Narnia when they'd had to get up early for councils as kings, Edmund made a fuss about it.

"We may have to resort to the cold water bucket." Susan said.

Peter shook his head. "We'll only be even later if he has to take time to dry off."

"Hullo." Lucy bounced into the hallway, carrying her suitcase. "When are we going?"

"Maybe Lu can jump up and down on his bed." Peter suggested, smiling at his sister. "That's what woke me up."

Lucy laughed a little. "Sorry Peter, I'm just a bit nervous about my first time at a boarding school that's all."

"It's alright." Peter told her. "Now go see if you can get Edmund to wake up."

Lucy opened the door, raced in and leaped into Edmund's bed, landing on his left thigh. "Wake up."

"Get off me!" Edmund demanded. "By the lion, you're worse than a puppy!"

"Well, are you up now?" Lucy asked.

"No." Edmund lied.

"Come on," Lucy got off of him pulled back his covers, grabbed his hand and pulled him out of bed. "Peter and Susan will have a fit if we make them late."

"I hate school." Edmund muttered as he left his room, rubbing his eyes. "I don't want to go."

"Don't say that in front of Lucy, you'll scare her." Peter told him.

"Oh, shut up." Edmund grumbled as he went into the bathroom to splash some cold water on his face. When he came out ten minutes later, he apologized for being grumpy, impossible, and telling Peter to shut up.

"It's okay." Lucy smiled at him. "Let's go."

They took the train to the subway station. They had a few minutes to wait before it was scheduled to arrive.

Susan decided to go get a magazine. Edmund was off looking for any nearby restroom he could find, because he'd had too many glasses of orange juice that morning. Peter was talking to some boys from his school. Lucy pulled out a notebook and started drawing a flower chain out of boredom.

After her flower chain had reached about fifteen flowers in all, Lucy heard a sharp pow. Looking up, she saw that Peter had just punched one of his classmates.

She watched in horror as the boy glared at him and shoved him into the wall. Peter kicked him, and the boy's friends shoved Peter back into the wall, harder this time.

I have to get help, Lucy thought desperately. She stood up and ran out of the subway station.

This wasn't the first time she'd seen her brother in a fight that wasn't a Narnian war. The first time had been two months after their return from Narnia. She had been horribly shocked and traumatized and had begged Peter never to do that again. He'd pretty much promised her he wouldn't but she caught him in another fight one time when he thought she wasn't around. Peter had told her that it wasn't his fault, because the other boy had hit him first and he was only acting in self defense. This time though, Lucy had seen him throw the first punch and was bitterly disappointed in him. She knew she wouldn't be angry with him after the fight though. She knew perfectly well that when it was over and she saw her beloved older brother all banged up she would feel nothing but pity even if it was his fault.

She was in such a hurry to cross the street that she was nearly hit by a car.

The driver honked the horn at her. "Watch yourself, Lass!"

"I'm sorry!" Lucy called to him as she ran across the street hearing a few more cries of, "Hey, watch where you're going!"

She'd come looking for Edmund but couldn't find him anywhere. She wasn't all the sure he could help anyway. She knew he'd go and beat the snot out of the boys who Peter was in a fight with. Even though they weren't blood related, Edmund was extremely attached to his older brother. He had gone through a phase where he hated and resented everything he said, but after learning his lesson in Narnia, He'd begun to look up to his brother and hated seeing him get hurt. Which was why he wouldn't think twice about jumping in the fight himself. Lucy didn't need another fighter, she need a voice of reason.

Susan! Lucy thought, Susan's the voice of reason. And Peter wouldn't fight in front of her, probably.

Lucy had seen more battles than Susan had even though she was older and a great archer. She'd grown tired of battles after a very short while and stopped attending them saying they were too bloody for her to endure. Lucy didn't like the blood, death, or pain either but she felt it was her duty to be there. To shoot when she must and to heal with her cordial if anyone should fall down close to death.

"Susan!" She raced over to her. She was talking to a nerdy boy. Or rather, the nerdy boy was talking to her while she read a magazine, ignoring him.

"What's wrong Lu?" Susan asked, noticing the panicked look on Lucy's face.

And she said the three words Susan hated most in the world. "He's fighting again."

Susan grabbed her suitcase and ran across the street back to the subway station, Lucy close behind her.

Sure enough everyone was chanting, "Fight! fight! fight!" over and over again.

Several boys were fighting one spunky boy who although clearly being the best fighter out of the lot, was out numbered. Susan couldn't see his face yet, but she already knew it was Peter. He knew how to fight, she had to give him that. But she wished he'd keep his hands to himself and just walk away every once in a while.

Peter jumped and was almost out of the reach of the other boys but they grabbed him and pulled him back down. For a moment he made eye contact with Susan, spotting her in the crowd.

She shook her head at him and mouthed. "How could you?"

Peter looked like he wanted to answer but was kicked down before he could say anything.

Edmund saw what was going on and jumped right in pushing down one of the boys who'd been punching Peter a moment ago.

"Edmund!" Lucy cried out. She didn't want him in the fight. Why was Susan being so quiet? Why wasn't she trying to stop this? Well if Susan wasn't going to do anything, Lucy decided that she would.

She jumped into the middle of the fight and shouted, "Stop it!"

"Get out of the way, little girl." A boy told her, shoving her aside.

How dare he! Lucy thought angrily, if this was Narnia, I'd banish him!

"I said, stop!" Lucy insisted grabbing onto the shirt of a boy who was trying to hit Peter again but couldn't get passed Edmund.

"Stay out of this, Lu." Peter pleaded with her. He didn't want his baby sister to get hurt.

Susan jumped in and grabbed Lucy's hand, pulling her back to the sidelines.

Lucy struggled to get free of her grip.

"Stay still, Lu, you'll get hurt if you go back in there." Susan told her.

"I don't care." Lucy tried to get back in and help her brothers but Susan held on tighter.

"Stay!" She hissed.

Lucy started to cry. She hated being so helpless. She hated being little again. She didn't mind having a little body and being so young again most of the time, but now she was nothing more than a little girl who couldn't even put a stop to a fight. At least in Narnia she could command that people stop dueling.

Thankfully, the fight was soon broken up and no one was killed or had broken bones. Some had bad bruises but that was it.

Peter sat on the bench while Lucy sat next to him, stroking the side of his arm.

"Lu, what you did was brave but you shouldn't have done it." Peter told her. "You could have been hurt."

"I'm sorry, Peter." Lucy said.

"You're welcome by the way." Edmund grumped as he sat down beside them.

"I had it sorted." Peter huffed.

Edmund let out a disagreeable snort.

"What was it this time?" Susan sighed, folding her arms across her chest.

"He bumped me." Peter said simply.

"So you _hit_ him?" Lucy gasped, letting go of his arm. All that trouble had started because of a bump?

Peter shook his head. "He said-" He paused for a moment and then decided not to tell them exactly what had happened. "Nothing, it wasn't important."

"You hit him for something that 'wasn't important'?" Susan asked.

"Kingly instinct?" Peter tried.

"I'm really disappointed in you, Peter." Susan told him.

How could she not understand? Peter wondered. I can't take it here anymore. I belong in Narnia, as a King. I can't be a normal person here without getting into trouble. I thought she understood.

"Don't you get tired of being treated like a kid?" Peter asked her.

"Um, we _are_ kids." Edmund reminded him.

"Well I wasn't always." Peter huffed. He looked back at Susan. "And neither were you."

"Peter, you have to except that there is nothing special about you." Susan told him. "You have to understand that you're not a king here. You're just like everyone else. You are just like every other boy here. You just can't go around hitting people."

"You think I'm just like everyone else?" Peter asked, he seemed hurt.

"I didn't mean it like that..." Susan said. "But yes...I mean, we all..."

"Yeah, whatever." Peter started to walk away.

"Peter come back, please, I didn't mean..." Susan wished he was a little less touchy sometimes.

"Let go of me." Peter said sharply.

"I'm not touching you." Susan told him.

"Why'd you pinch me for, Ed?" Lucy glared at him.

"I didn't!" Edmund protested.

Suddenly the whole station felt like it was shaking itself to bits.

"What is that?" Susan asked.

"It feels like magic." Lucy said, beginning to feel very excited.

"Quick everyone hold hands." Susan told them, grabbing Peter's right hand and Lucy's left one.

"I'm _not_ holding your hand!" Edmund told Peter firmly.

The subway seemed to be coming into through the shattering tunnel now. Though the glass windows, they thought they saw the faint outlines of a beach.

Edmund was so surprised that he grabbed onto Peter's hand.

Soon they found themselves in a cave on a beach.

"Let's go play in the water!" Lucy cried, throwing off her shoes and running into the sea.

"Race you." Edmund told Peter as he took off.

"I'm faster than you, Ed." Peter joked, running after him.

"Hey, wait for me!" Susan called, running after all three of them.

Soon all four children were soaked through and through with sea water. They were thirsty and hungry.

The only food they could find were apple trees that seemed to be growing everywhere. For water, they found a stream.

As they were taking a drink, Susan turned to Peter and said, "I'm sorry about what I said before, I didn't mean it quite how it sounded."

"Didn't you?" Peter asked.

"No, I didn't mean that you were exactly the same as them as a person...only that..." Her voice trailed off a bit as she realized she was going to start babbling.

"It's alright." Peter forgave her.

Edmund was watching them while he ate an apple, sitting on a rock. Lucy came and sat down beside him.

"Lucy, you don't think they..." Edmund started.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked him, biting into her own apple.

"You don't think they, I don't know, like each other?" Edmund asked.

"Well of course they like each other." Lucy laughed. What sort of question was that?

"No I mean, really _like_ each other." Edmund said.

"Oh." Lucy caught on. "I don't know, they-" She noticed suddenly that Peter wasn't standing next to Susan anymore. Where had he run off to?

"What were you talking about?" Peter asked coming up behind them.

"Nothing." They both said quickly.

"Say, what's that ruin over there?" Edmund asked to change the subject.

Lucy looked up and saw what looked like the ruins of a castle. Some parts looked like they had fallen down naturally, others like they'd been attacked.

"It's so like, Cair Paravel." Edmund commented. "We could almost pretend it was, Cair Paravel, if we wanted to."

"We don't have to pretend." Lucy told him, tears coming to her eyes now. "This is Cair Paravel. Look carefully."

"It does look like it but it might not be." Peter tried to comfort her.

"Look at this." Lucy pointed to part of a wall that was still standing. "This is where Edmund and I carved our names, don't you remember? And look, part of it's still in tack."

They decided that if it was truly cair paravel they should look for the underground treasure chamber.

"The things in there, may come in handy." Peter said.

They found the place with all the glittering gold chests still in tack and un opened. No one had ever found it. All of the things they'd kept hidden in the gold age, had stayed hidden.

In one of the chests, Lucy found a golden silk gown and pulled it out. It was too big for her now but would have fitted her perfectly as an older queen.

"I was so tall." Lucy sighed.

"You were older then." Susan reminded her.

"Maybe I should try it on." Lucy thought aloud.

"It wont fit." Susan told her. "You should look for something smaller to wear."

Lucy gave in and found a suitable Narnian dress in one of the other trunks. However, when she was sure none of her siblings were looking, she grabbed a sack and shoved the golden gown into it. She tied it into a tight buddle, hoping she wasn't ruining it, and tied the buddle to the side of her belt with the cordial holder on it. She knew it was impractical to bring the dress along where ever they'd have to go, but decided to bring it anyway. It was just so pretty.

Many hours later, they walked along a gorge with their new friend, Trumpkin the dwarf. They were looking for some Prince called Caspian. He was to be the new king but the Narnians had to win a war first.

Peter and Trumpkin decided it would be best to go down by the ford, thinking it would be easier to swim.

Across the gorge, Lucy spotted Aslan. He was so big and golden that the dress she'd taken out of the treasure chest that day, seemed dull in comparison. He wanted her to follow him.

"Aslan!" She cried. "It's Aslan, over there!"

"Where?" Peter asked excitedly.

"Aslan?" Edmund's face lit up as he started to look this way and that.

"No...over there..." they were looking the wrong way and missed him.

"There's no lion there." Trumpkin said.

"But he was just right here." Lucy pleaded noticing that they weren't going to follow her across the gorge.

"I'm sorry, Lu." Peter told her.

Edmund slipped his hand in hers. "I believe you."

"I know." Lucy whispered, giving him a warm smile. She was happy he believed her but she couldn't get rid of that raw gnawing feeling that by not going across the gorge she was making the biggest mistake of her life.


	3. What happened to and from Aslan

"Are we almost there?" Susan asked, stumbling along the path behind Peter, Edmund, and Trumpkin. "I've got blisters forming on my feet. I thought we were going to swim most of the way."

Lucy trailed a little ways behind Susan, slowly dragging her feet. She was overcome with guilt. Aslan would have wanted her to cross over to him. But was it really her fault that no one besides Edmund believed her? She couldn't really be expected to go all the way across the gorge by herself. No, she had to stick with the family. Of course Aslan understood that. Maybe he was even following them and would jump out of the bushes at any given moment.

Suddenly there was a rustling sound. Lucy quickly spun around, "Aslan?"

But it wasn't Aslan at all. It was a beautiful dryad. A young, slender, fair-haired one. She stared at Lucy strangely for a moment.

"Hullo." Lucy smiled at her. "Do you remember me?"

The dryad nodded and then fell over the same way a tree falls down if it is cut in half. Then she lost her form and became nothing but ashy leaves on the ground. She was dead. Someone had killed her tree, thus killing her too.

"No." Lucy cried softly to herself. "This can't happen. Who did this?" She looked behind her to see if her siblings looked at distraught as she felt, only to find they were not behind her at all. They hadn't noticed the dryad and they hadn't stopped. They had kept on going by the way of the ford.

Lucy realized she'd have to run to catch up with them now. Giving one last glance to the pathetic leaf pile, she took off.

As she ran, she heard the sound of trees behind chopped. It was a construction site. A large number of Talmarines were hard at work building a bridge from one end of the ford to the other.

"Lucy, there you are, get down!" Peter whisper-shouted, pulling his little sister down behind the pile of wood they were using as a hiding place.

"Maybe this wasn't the best way to come after all." Susan whispered.

"Maybe not." Peter agreed. "Let's get out of here."

Once they were all a safe distance away from the Telmarine workers, Lucy told them about the dryads.

"Those bloody murderers!" Peter exclaimed angrily. How could he not be angry? He had known and ruled over so many good trees during his time as High King. He and his siblings had always worked so hard to protect them from behind cut down, but to what purpose? For them to be cut up to make some stupid bridge for a bunch of savages to use?

"Peter, calm down." Susan said in that calm, reasonable voice she was both famous and infamous for. "They might not know about the dryads, maybe they think it's just wood."

"Oh, they know alright, they know." Trumpkin said bitterly. "They're just a bunch of cowards. They're Telmarines, this is what they do."

Lucy wasn't paying attention to what they were saying. She could barely hear them over the sound of her head and heart screaming at her for not going over to Aslan when she had the chance. Maybe some of the trees could have been saved if she'd gone with him at once. She wanted to scream, "I'm sorry, alright? I was too scared to come!" But she didn't. all she did was press her lips tightly together and try to tune into what her siblings were saying.

"Now which way do we go?" Edmund was asking Trumpkin.

"I suppose we'll just have to go back up the gorge, to where I saw Aslan." Lucy told them, not unkindly. "There's no other way."

"Oh, Lu." Peter said, slipping his arm around his baby sister. "You are nothing short of a hero for not saying, 'I told you so'."

Maybe Aslan will still be there. Lucy thought to herself, maybe it's not too late, even now.

But sadly, she realized it was indeed too late. Oh, they could go the way Aslan had been trying to get them to go, alright, but they had to go it alone. There was no sign of the great Lion. Not even Lucy could see him.

"Isn't it something that the way down the gorge is actually much easier than the road we took to the ford?" Edmund pondered aloud, as they all climbed down. "Even though it doesn't look it."

"Yes, yes, we all see that Lu was right all along." Susan sighed, nearly slipping and having to grab onto Peter's had to keep from a rather nasty fall. "You don't need to rub it in."

"I wasn't." Edmund insisted. "I was just saying the facts."

"Well you've said them, so hush." Susan told him, shortly.

"Please stop snapping at one another like that." Peter moaned, rubbing his forehead with his free hand "I'm getting a beastly headache."

"It's all this sun." Edmund told him. "it's awful strong today."

Night fell and soon they couldn't travel anymore. They set up a warm fire in a comfortable clearing and all sat around it. They had nothing but apples to eat.

"If I never see another apple again, I'll be the happiest boy in both England and Narnia." Edmund told them.

The others nodded in agreement.

"Don't complain about good food." Trumpkin scolded them. "It's better fare than most people get a war times."

"No it isn't." Susan told him. "We've seen a lot of war times and even when supplies are very low, there's usually more than apples."

"Su, you're upsetting the DLF." Edmund warned her. "His eye is starting to twitch."

"Is not." Trumpkin growled.

A while later, when the fire was dying down a bit, Lucy and Edmund went to get some more fire-wood.

"Bottles and blue birds!" Snapped Trumpkin, getting up and taking off after them. "They're going the wrong way, the good fire wood is over there!"

Peter and Susan glanced at each other and laughed a little. It had been a long day, both were tired, and found the DLF strangely amusing at times.

"Susan?" Peter said.

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry about getting into that fight, back in England." Peter told her. "I didn't mean to hurt you or Edmund or Lucy...I should have walked away..."

"Yes, you should have." Susan sighed, looking up at him. "Why didn't you?"

"I was going to but then-" Peter looked down at the grass.

"What happened?" Susan asked gently. She put her hand on his shoulder.

Peter shook his head. "Forget it."

"No, it's alright, you can tell me." Susan said kindly.

Peter looked at her pleased to see the for the first time in a while she didn't seem like she was trying to be stern, motherly, or smart. She was just trying to understand.

"After he bumped me, they tried to get me to apologize." Peter told her. "It wasn't my fault, so I refused. I should have just muttered, 'sorry' and moved on, but I didn't. So they kept on talking to me, and first boy-the one I hit-said a rather nasty joke about you."

"What?" Susan hadn't known Peter had been fighting to defend her.

Peter turned a little red in the face, it made him angry just thinking about it. "They called you a scrappy street urchin because everyone knows about how mum and dad took you and Edmund in from the streets. They said your parents were probably worthless drunken louts. And one of them called you a really bad name that I wont repeat."

Susan's face softened. "That's why you hit him?"

Peter nodded. "I couldn't let him talk about you like that."

"I think that's the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me." Susan told him, getting a little misty-eyed.

"Well it wasn't just for you, it was for Edmund too..." Peter reminded her.

Susan edged closer to him now. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to talk about it in front of Lucy." Peter explained. "I don't want her to know what people say about you and Edmund coming in off the street."

"Why not?" Susan asked. "it's not like she doesn't already know where we came from."

"She knows where you came from but she doesn't know what people say about it." Peter explained.

"You can't protect her from everything people say for ever." Susan reminded him.

"I can try." Peter shrugged.

The next moment they didn't say anything, there was dead silence. Peter came closer to Susan and their lips almost met.

"We found the fire-wood!" Lucy came bouncing back into the clearing, her arms filled with branches and sticks.

Peter quickly moved away from Susan and started to help Lucy put the sticks on the fire.

"So, what did we miss?" Edmund asked, as he and Trumpkin started helping with the fire too.

"Nothing." Peter and Susan blurred out at the same time, both of them turning rather red.

That night, Lucy dreamed about Aslan. She dreamed she was walking along the gorge as her Queen adult self in her old hunting garb, She had a bow and arrow and was trying to hunt something, though she wasn't sure what. Suddenly, she saw Aslan. He was shaking his head at her sadly.

"Aslan!" She cried. She released the arrow out of surprise. It flew into a tree, killing it. She heard the soft groaning of an old dryad.

Aslan looked at her sadly and then walked away.

Lucy sat down on her side of the gorge, flung her bow and arrows down into the river at the bottom, pulled her legs close to her, and had a long cry.

"Lucy, are you alright?" Edmund was shaking her awake.

Lucy opened her eyes. It had only been a dream but it had seemed so painfully real. "Is it morning already?"

"Nearly." Edmund confessed. "Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Lucy blinked at him in confusion.

"You were crying." Edmund told her. "I wanted to be sure you were alright."

Lucy smiled at him. "I'm fine. I just..."

"Just what?" He asked.

"I just wish I'd followed Aslan across the gorge when I had the chance." She told him, her eyes filling with tears.

"I believed you and I didn't follow him." Edmund reminded her. "it's as much my fault as it is yours."

Lucy shook her head. "No, it's not. I'm my own person, I should have been brave enough to go across the gorge on my own. I'm such a coward."

"No, you're not, Lucy." Edmund said firmly. "You're the bravest person I've ever met."

"Surely you're joking." Lucy laughed a little.

Edmund shook his head, and she realized he was being serious.

Later that day, they finally made it to Aslan's how, the place where Caspian was supposed to be.

"What is this place?" Lucy asked Trumpkin.

"You don't know?" He looked very surprised.

"No, this wasn't here in our time." Peter told him.

"It's just a mound built over the stone table." Trumpkin explained. "A real useful place, I suppose, but that's about all that can be said for it."

As they walked through the tunnels of Aslan's How, Susan let out a gasp and pointed to the wall.

Peter, who was holding a torch, held it up to the wall she pointed at. "Why, it's us!"

There were paintings and engravings of them by their throne during the golden age. There was also one of the girls riding on Aslan's back.

Lucy's stomach hurt when she looked at it. She quickly looked away only to come face-to-face with a drawing of Mr. Tumnus standing by the lamp post. That one made her feel lonely.

Suddenly, they heard voices in the passage way coming from the main room that housed the stone table.

A sudden cold breeze blew from the room and blew out Peter's torch, leaving them all in pitch black darkness.

"Is this open treason?" A voice demanded angrily.

"Don't get so worked up." another voice answered him. "You're kings and queens are not coming so why shouldn't we call her up?"

"She's a witch, that's why." The first voice argued.

"That's Caspian." Trumpkin whispered to them.

"Who's the other voice?" Peter asked.

"Nikabrik." Trumpkin growled. "How could he betray us like that?"

"We mustn't let them bring back the white witch." Edmund said firmly. "She'll kill us all."

"Don't worry, Ed." Susan said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Ten to one they're only shamming. I don't think they really could bring her back anyway."

Peter didn't look as convinced. "We must not take any chances." He pulled out his sword and ran in. Edmund, Lucy, Susan, and Trumpkin followed behind.

It was dark and no one could see what they were doing. There were a few moments of struggling.

"I've got that brute, Nikabrik." Edmund told them. "I think he's still alive."

"That's me you've got!" Trumpkin snapped. "Get off me!"

"Sorry, honest mistake." Edmund laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll see how funny it is when I sit on _your_ head." Trumpkin growled.

"Well where is Nikabrik then?" Peter asked. "Did anyone get him?"

"I've got someone." Lucy announced cheerfully. "He's a very hairy dwarf."

"I'm not a dwarf, I'm a badger." A voice below her said. "Please let me up."

"Oh, sorry." She let the poor creature up.

"I've got him." Susan told them. "He's awfully big for a dwarf."

Whomever she'd wrapped her arms around couldn't talk because her hand was covering his mouth. But he made noises that indicated that he was trying to say something.

"By the lion's mane, can someone be so kind as to provide a light?" Susan asked. "I can't hold him down for ever and none of you can see where I am."

"Here, maybe this will help." Edmund pulled out his electric torch and turned it on. "Susan?"

Now that there was some light, Susan realized she'd made a big mistake. The person she had pinned down wasn't a very large dwarf but Prince Caspian himself, struggling to get out of her grip,

He stopped struggling when he noticed that the person holding him down was actually a very pretty young woman.

She let go of his mouth as Peter finally managed to find some candles to light up the place with.

The real Nikabrik was dead on the floor. They didn't know who'd killed him and they were glad of it.

"I am so sorry." She blushed, letting him up. "I thought you were a dwarf...not that you look like one...I just mean it was so dark..."

He smiled at her. "That's alright. I'm Prince Caspian, who are you?"

"Queen Susan." She told him.

"I guess the old stories weren't kidding when they said you were..." Caspian started before he noticed that the older boy in the room was glaring at him.

"That I was...what?" Susan asked, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Um...strong?" He'd been going to say 'beautiful' but he decided to save that for later. "Don't take this the wrong way but I thought you'd all be much older."

"We could come back in a few years." Peter said dryly. "If your army is not dead by then."

"No, no, please stay." Caspian begged him. "You're just not quite what I was expecting."

"Neither are you." Edmund pointed out.

"You must be High King Peter?" Caspian guessed.

"No, I'm king Edmund. Just King. Peter's the high king." Edmund explained, then he shrugged. "I know. It's confusing."

Caspian was not pleased to learn that the one who'd been glaring at him was the high king. This was not starting off well at all.

"Alright, no time for chit chat." Peter said shortly. "We must do something quickly."

"No." Lucy cut in, looking sadly at the broken stone table in front of them. "We must wait for Aslan."

Peter looked up at the carving of Aslan that stood above the stone table and shook his head. "We've waited long enough."

Lucy sighed and took a seat on the left side of the stone table.

"What we should do is attack Miraz's castle." Peter explained. "take them all by surprise."

"That's crazy, we can't take that castle." Caspian protested. "I've lived there, I know how tough it is."

"He has a point, Peter." Susan cut in. "Maybe we should listen to him."

Peter glared at her and mouthed, "Traitor."

She glared back and fake coughed, "Jealous!"

"Hullo, so sorry I'm late." a small mouse with a golden head band with a feather on it raced in.

It was the most adorable thing Lucy had ever seen. "Aw, he's so cute." She cooed.

He pulled out his sword and waved it about angrily. "Who said that?"

"Sorry." Lucy said.

"It's alright, your majesty." The mouse smiled at her and took a seat on the stone table beside her.

"I'm Queen Lucy." She told him.

"My name is Reepicheep." He said proudly.

"At least we know some of you can handle a blade." Peter said, glaring at Caspian.

"King Peter, I am not an idiot, I know how to use a sword." Caspian told him.

Peter ignored him and went on making plans for the raid against the castle.

That evening when they were setting off, Lucy raced out to her older brother. "Please Peter, don't do this!"

"Lucy, it's the only way."

"No it's not!" Lucy cried. "We need to wait for Aslan."

Peter looked over to one of the fauns and asked a question about how many swords he planed to carry on his person.

Lucy stamped her foot and stormed back into the how.


	4. Excepting Miraz's offer

The night was cool and still. Up in the air, Griffins carried Susan, Peter, Caspian, and Edmund to Miraz's great stone castle.

Edmund's griffin swooped down first and placed Edmund on the top of the tower. Even though he thought Lucy was right about waiting for Aslan, he didn't want to disappoint Peter by not going along with it. After all, they'd grown up like brothers together and he was still the High King. Still, Edmund couldn't get rid of that nervous feeling that they were making a grave mistake.

Maybe it wasn't too late to get out of it now. Peter and the others wouldn't land unless they saw his signal first. If he didn't send the signal with his electric torch, it would all have to be called off. Then he thought of how ticked Peter would be if they weren't able to go through with it. No, he was in too deep to just get out now. If he'd really wanted to get out, he should have stayed behind with Lucy when he'd had the chance. That was that. He flashed the signal. All clear.

Soon Peter. Susan, and Caspian had landed near a window which, Caspian successfully unlatched. They could get in now.

"Who's room is this?" Susan whispered to Caspian as they climbed in.

"It's my professor's study." Caspian told her, looking around. "Where is he?"

"Not here." Peter said. "It's a mess, it doesn't look like anyone's used this room in a while."

"I have to find him." Caspian said, edging towards the door.

"You don't have time." Peter reminded him. "We have to stick to the plan."

"You wouldn't be here if he hadn't found Susan's horn." Caspian pointed out. "And I'd be dead now if it wasn't for him."

Susan looked at Caspian. She knew he was desperate to find the Tutor that had had such a big hand in raising him. But what about the plan?

"You and I can deal with Miraz." Susan told Peter. "That'll give Caspian time to find him."

Peter looked unsure.

"And I'll still make it to the gate on time." Caspian promised.

Peter gave in. "Alright." He turned to Susan. "Let's go."

With one last glance at Caspian, who mouthed, "Thank you." Susan followed Peter down the hallway towards Miraz's bed chamber.

When they'd finally reached the chamber, Caspian was already there with his sword pressed to Miraz's neck, demanding to know if he'd killed his father.

"What are you doing in here?" Peter asked him. "You should be at the gate by now!"

Caspian ignored him.

"Caspian, just follow the plan, this wont make things any better." Susan pleaded with him. "This wont bring your father back."

"Answer me." Caspian glared at his uncle. "Did you kill my father?"

"Caspian!" Susan tried again. "Just let it go."

By the time they'd made it out of the bed chamber, the whole castle was aware of the raid and the element of surprise was completely gone.

Caspian and Susan started running back towards were they left the griffins. They'd almost made it there when they realized Peter wasn't with them.

"Where's Peter?" Susan asked, looking behind her.

"Wasn't he behind you?" Caspian said.

"Oh, no." Susan shook her head. "Don't tell me he went to the gate." She ran to the gate, and sure enough there was Peter, trying to get it open.

"Peter, we have to get back to the griffins if we want to get out of here alive." Caspian told him.

"The shooters are just outside." Peter protested. "Help me get this open."

They gave in and tried to help him get it open.

Susan shot Peter an angry look. "Exactly who are you doing this for, Peter?"

Don't you know? He thought sadly, before the gates finally clicked open and the battle was in full swing.

Back at Aslan's how, Lucy laid sprawled out on the broken stone table, crying softly to herself. What if they got hurt? What if this King Miraz person did something to them? why couldn't Peter just have waited? Why had Edmund been so willing to go along with it? Why had Susan?

She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. She fell asleep. What was really hours later, but felt only like a few seconds, Lucy was awaked by the sound of the troops returning.

She noticed with horror that there were a lot less troops returning than had left. Edmund looked broken and sad. He wouldn't make eye contact with anyone. Trumpkin was hurt badly and was carried in by two fauns with sullen, defeated expressions on their face.

Grabbing her cordial, Lucy raced over to Trumpkin. "Poor Trumpkin." She whispered, letting a drop fall into his mouth. Then she looked up at Peter who's expression held more than just sadness. Lucy noticed he looked very angry.

"What happened?" Lucy wanted to know.

"Ask him." Peter growled, motioning to Caspian.

"Peter!" Susan scolded him.

"Me?" Caspian glared at him. "You're the one who wouldn't call it off, not me."

"I shouldn't have had to call it off at all!" Shouted Peter. "You should have stuck to the plan."

"None of this would have happened if you hadn't abandoned Narnia." Caspian shot back.

"Caspian!" Susan gasped.

Peter's hand went to the hilt of his sword

"Please don't fight." Lucy begged them, grabbing onto her brother's hand before it could pull the sword out, and leading him back into the how. "You promised, Peter."

"Now what do we do?" Edmund asked them, the first one to speak the next morning after a day of compete silence and mourning for all the troops that had died.

"I don't know." Peter mumbled, looking and sounding more like a frightened, sullen, tired child than the High King of Narnia.

Suddenly, the look out faun, blew into his horn.

"Must be the army, come to kill us all." Trumpkin muttered.

"They couldn't have gotten a whole army across the ford and out side this mound so quickly." Edmund reminded him. "It must be something else." He got up and looked outside of the how only to see Miraz's messenger and only three soldiers walking towards the entrance.

"I have come to deliver a message to Miraz's nephew, Caspian the tenth." The messenger told him in a clear no-nonsense tone of voice.

"Come in, but tell those men to leave their weapons by the door." Edmund ordered, glancing at the Telmarine solders. Of course only a fool would try an attach with only three men but he wasn't willing to take any chances.

Once inside, ignoring the growls and grunts of the bitterly angry fauns, dwarfs, and talking animals resting and tending to their wounds, the messenger opened his scroll, cleared his throat and read Miraz's words aloud.

_"To my nephew Caspian the tenth, from your uncle King Miraz. I am sorry to inform you that your cousin, the young prince, has suddenly died in his sleep. The doctor says that your aunt is unable to have another child thus leaving no one to rule the throne after I am gone. So you return as the rightful, unthreatened heir to the Telmarine throne. We make a peace treaty with you and your Narnians on the following conditions."_

The messenger paused to take a breath and Caspian blinked in surprise. This all felt so unreal, like in a dream. Was he really just going to hand over the throne? Was this a trick?

The messenger went on, _"First, we wish for you to keep your Narnians in the woods as much as possible until I, the king am dead, It is a given that we shall not harm or purse stamping them out any longer after this peace treaty is excepted."_

Susan glanced at Lucy. They were both thinking the same thing, That the Narnians although they'd be glad to no longer have to live in complete hiding, wouldn't be very pleased with this part of the treaty.

 _"Second, your little friends..."_ The messenger lost his place for a moment.

"Little?" Reepicheep's hand reached for his sword.

 _"The former Kings and Queens of old Narnia..."_ The messenger found his place in the paragraph.

Reepicheep let go of his sword.

_"...are no longer to be regarded as Kings and Queens. Their time is over. The former High King Peter, is to be a knight in the Telmarine army, and his brother, King Edmund, a duke or some other such high title. The Queen Lucy shall hereby be called upon as Lady Lucy..."_

I wonder if I'll like being a Lady and not a Queen, Lucy thought, Not that it matters though, after what happened with the raid, Peter must know that it's best to just wait for Aslan. He wont except the offer. Neither will Caspian, probably.

_"In the matter of royal titles we are brought to the third condition of this treaty. Our royal Nephew, Caspian the tenth will need to take a bride to rule with him as queen. It has not escaped the attention of the Telemarines that the former High King, Current Telemarine Knight's eldest sister, is a fine warrior, beautiful, and of marriageable age. As part of our official new tolerance with the Narnians, it would be seemly that their former Queen, be given in marriage to the future king of the Telmarines. In fact we so insist upon this for the seemly look of matters, that we refuse to except no for an answer as far as this matter is concerned. Do think wisely, your army is half dead, if you want your Narnians to survive giving into our demands is the only way."_

Edmund choked on his own spit, breaking into a fit of coughing.

Susan's eyes widened and she glanced at Caspian to see what he thought about this.

Caspian looked nothing short of bewildered. It wasn't that the beautiful former queen of Narnia was undesirable as a bride. He had to admit he liked her quite a bit. But could they really get married so soon after meeting? They barely knew each other. Still, he couldn't say the news distressed him very much.

Peter looked horrified. Caspian and Susan? Never!

Lucy had to admit she hadn't seen this coming. She noticed her brother looked upset. Why was he so upset? He was going to refuse it anyway, wasn't he?

Peter knew the army was weak. If he excepted the treaty, Caspian would rule some day and free them all from the woods. In the meantime, this could end all current blood shed, saving countless lives.

"Susan, can we talk alone for a moment?" Peter asked.

Susan nodded and followed him into another part of the mound.

He should have asked to speak with me about this as well! Lucy thought bitterly, he's being foolish to consider this. We have to wait for Aslan. If we settle things this way, he may never come back.

"You majesty, what say you?" The messenger asked.

Caspian shook his head. "I don't know, let's wait until the High King and his sister return."

In another part of the mound, once he was certain they couldn't be over-heard, Peter turned to Susan, "You like Caspian a good deal, right?"

"Well...I..." Susan wasn't sure how to answer that. "I suppose he's nice..."

"Would you take him for a husband?" Peter asked her, despite the fact that just thinking about them together made him want to throw himself off a tall building.

"Peter, you can't honestly..." Susan stammered. "...I hardly know him."

Peter nodded. "I know, but your marriage to him would end 1300 years of blood shed. That's much more important than how I..." His voice trailer off.

"How you...what?" Susan asked.

"Oh, nothing." Peter forced a smile, so he wouldn't seem stressed. "We cant except the treaty without your consent."

Susan couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But Peter, are you willing to be a Knight in the Telmarine army after all this?"

Peter could only think that was the least of his problems. "I don't think I'll enjoy it, but it's only until Miraz is dead, then Caspian can change whatever he likes."

Susan looked at Peter for a moment. She knew he was doing this for the Narnians, not for himself. She couldn't help but think her sacrifice wouldn't be as great as his. She'd still be a queen. He'd be back to being a knight. And not even one of Aslan's Knights. Not Sir Peter wolf's-bane, but some common Telmarine knight.

"Tell them that if they except the treaty, I'll marry him." Susan said softly.

"Alright." Peter said, trying to blink back the tears forming in his eyes. "I'll do that." He tried to be cheerful. "And it is better than Rabadash right? Or what about that other suitor you didn't like, What's-his-face...the one with the hat..."

Susan didn't respond, she just walked back to the room where the messenger was.

Lucy watched as Peter walked over to Caspian and whispered something in his ear. Caspian nodded and turned to the messenger. "Tell Miraz we except."

"No!" Cried Lucy. How could they do this.

"Quiet Lu." Susan said, a little sharply but not meanly.

Edmund just hung his head. Again, he thought Lucy was in the right, but couldn't bring himself to say so. She thought herself the coward, but he felt that he was the real one.

"It's the only way, Lucy." Peter told her. "When you're older you'll understand."

Lucy glared at him. "No I wont! Peter, you're making a huge mistake! Send them away and let's wait for Aslan to come."

"We can't wait for ever." Peter reminded her. "This is the only way to save the Narnians."

"No!" Lucy cried again.

"Lucy, please try to understand." Peter pleaded.

"I can't even look at you right now." Lucy was furious. She turned her back to him and folded her arms across her chest. He was doing it again. Making another stupid mistake, and not listening to her advice at all.

The next day, Telmarine royal carriage's arrived to take Prince Caspian, his bride, and the bride's family to the castle.

"Get in the Carriage, Lu." Susan hissed, getting fed up with Lucy for being so defiant.

"No thanks, I'll stay here with the Narnians." Lucy said. "That's were we all belong."

"Lucy, please." Edmund shot her a pleading look. "We can't leave you here."

"But Ed, what if Aslan comes and-" Lucy tried to explain her reasons for staying.

"Then the Narnian's will send us word." Peter cut in. "Just get in the carriage."

"What about Trumpkin?" Lucy asked.

"He can't come." Susan huffed. "Not now, later. Now get in."

Here goes another big mistake, Lucy thought holding back her tears, glancing at Aslan's How one more time before getting into the carriage and taking a seat beside Caspian and her family.

_Oh Aslan, I'm so sorry..._


	5. The Narnian Telmarines

Edmund fought the urge to bang his head against his desk. As part of the treaty, they were now required to take lessons in Telmarine history even thought most of it (If not all of it) was a pack of bogus-not to mention, boring-lies.

"And as they crossed the south border..." The teacher's dull mono-tone voice droned on, "They realized they had made a grave mistake."

"Sort of like Miraz's parents when they first saw his face." Edmund muttered so softly that only Peter, who was sitting right beside him, could hear.

Peter let out a light chuckle. It was the first time he'd so much as cracked a smile since they'd arrived.

Edmund leaned over and noticed that Lucy was writing something down. "Is she actually taking notes on this nonsense?"

He wouldn't have been surprised if Susan did that (She was in a different class than the three of them were because she was the Telemarine's future queen) but Lucy?

Peter snuck a peek. "No, she's just doodling pictures of lions."

Edmund shrugged, pretending not to feel as guilty as he actually did. She was still thinking about Aslan. She was still right. And he still couldn't bring himself to say so, at least not out loud.

Later that day, Lucy strolled sadly down the castle hallways, her shoulders slumped and her head down. She was miserable as anyone could see as plain as day.

"Lucy, are you alright?" Edmund asked, walking past her and noticing that her face was twisted up like she was about to cry.

"Oh, Edmund!" Lucy looked up at him, tears rolling down her face. "Of course I'm not alright. How could I be? They're trying to turn us into Telmarines and Peter's just going along with it. This isn't right, we aren't Telmarines, we're Narnians."

"I know." Edmund said, gently taking Lucy's hands in his, trying to comfort her. "But Peter is the high king, maybe he knows what he's doing."

Lucy sighed and pulled her hands away from his. "What if he doesn't?" She shook her head and ran off to her room. She knew Edmund didn't have an answer to that and she didn't want to stand there while he tried to think up one.

"Lucy, wait!" Edmund called after her. He wasn't sure if she was ignoring him or if she simply couldn't hear him behind the thick wood of her bed chamber door.

Her last words played over and over again in his head. And once more she was right. What would they do if this all blew up in their faces? They were powerless. They'd given up all their power to the Telmarines.

He continued walking until he came to Peter's bed chamber. "Pete?" Edmund called into the room.

Peter didn't hear him, he was looking out the window, watching archery practice. Susan was down there, with her bow and arrow doing so well that she was making the Temarines practicing next to her look bad.

Caspian came by and said something to her. She laughed and handed her bow and one of her arrows to him.

He shot well, the arrow hit the middle of the target. He seemed to say something along the lines of, "Let's see you beat that."

Susan smirked at him, took her bow back, grabbed an arrow, and took aim. It went perfectly straight, splitting Caspian's arrow in two.

Caspian laughed again and seemed either to be apologizing or joking with her now.

Susan got another arrow ready. She took aim, prepared to split her first arrow in half just as she had done to Caspian's arrow. Some of her long black hair slid forward. Caspian reached out and gently moved it back behind her shoulders so it wouldn't cause her to miss the shot.

Peter sighed heavily and turned away from the window.

"What were you looking at?" Edmund asked him.

Peter jumped a bit realizing for the first time that there was someone else in the room with him. "Oh, nothing, just the archers practicing."

"For what?" Edmund asked.

"I guess they just don't want to get rusty." He said causally.

"Peter, what's wrong?" Edmund had noticed that for someone who had been so willing to go along with this, he seemed almost as glum as Lucy who had wanted to refuse.

"Nothing." Peter said, very unenthusiastically. "What could possibly be wrong?" He started fiddling with some things that had been on the dresser of the room. "We got peace in Narnia didn't we? Everything's great."

Edmund wasn't an idiot, he knew Peter was unhappy. "Is it serving in the Telmarine army that's got you so upset?"

"I don't care." Peter said in a dull voice. "It doesn't matter. Nothing matters."

"Are we going to spend the rest of our lives here?" Edmund asked the question he'd been holding back ever since they'd agreed to the treaty.

Peter shrugged. "I suppose such."

"But what do we do here?" Edmund pondered. "We aren't needed to rule or anything."

"No, I guess we aren't." Peter said.

"Then what are we going to do with our lives?" Edmund asked getting a bit fed up with Peter's sudden mood swing.

"What does it matter?" Peter said, looking sadder than ever. "We had a life in England, nothing came out of that. We had a life in Narnia ruling for fifteen years, the only thing that came out of that is that we stumbled back into England, only to come back here because Caspian called us, and now we're living in some former enemies castle. I'm nothing but a common knight and my little sister hates me because I didn't wait for Aslan."

"She doesn't hate you." Edmund insisted. "She's just angry. She'll settle down."

"She keeps looking at me like I betrayed her." Peter told him. "It hurts."

"Well, maybe it's because you did betray her." Edmund blurted out before he could stop himself.

Peter's expresstion suddenly went from sad to angry. "What was that?"

"Uh..." Edmund cursed himself for not thinking before speaking. "It's just that...you know, she's been right before...I mean...you..."

Peter glared at him. "You think I should have listened to her and waited for Aslan." It was a statement, not a question.

Edmund gave in. "Yes, but..."

"Then you should have bloody well said something." Peter snapped. "It's too late now."

"There's something else bothering you, isn't there?" Edmund said, unwilling to let up.

"No, there isn't." Peter lied. "Go away."

"Oh, come on!" Edmund rolled his eyes. "You can't honestly expect me to believe that."

Peter frowned at him. "So what if there was?" He demanded bitterly. "Why would I tell you about it?"

"Because we've been like brothers since I was two?" Edmund said in a very 'duh' tone of voice.

"I can't tell you." Peter insisted, in a kinder tone this time. "I just want it to go away."

"Want what to go away?" Edmund raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"I told you, I can't tell you!" Peter huffed.

"Why not?" Edmund persisted.

"You might slip up and tell her." Peter blurted out, before he realized he'd very nearly given it away with that last comment.

"Oh, I get it!" Edmund smirked a little. "This is about a girl!"

"Yes, you win." Peter pouted. "It's about a girl, now go away."

"So who is she?" Edmund pressed.

"Go away, Ed." Peter insisted.

"She must be someone I know right?" Edmund wasn't giving up that easily.

"Yes yes, you know her, now get out of my room." Peter tried again.

Edmund tried to think of girls he knew that Peter could possibly like. "Is it someone back in England?"

"No."

"Wait, it's a Telmarine?" Edmund gasped. "You're in love with a Telmarine girl?"

"Edmund Pevensie, I am not in love with any Telmarine girl." Peter huffed, pointing to the open doorway. "Now get lost."

"It's a dryad?" Edmund came up with randomly. "you have feelings for a tree?" He looked somewhat creeped out for a moment, then shrugged. "To each their own."

"She's not a tree." Peter told him.

"She isn't a faun is she? Because that would be really weird." Edmund edged a little closer to the door but still showed no signs of leaving anytime soon.

"There is no girl okay?" Peter lied. "I made it up to throw you off track, now get out!"

"Off the track of what?" Edmund frowned, looking extremely confused.

"Uh..." Peter cursed himself for not thinking this through.

"That's alright, you tell me when you're ready." Edmund said. For a moment, Peter thought he was finally going to leave him in peace, but all he did was take a book from the shelf and sit on the bed. "Guess, I'll get some studying down while I wait."

Peter groaned. He grabbed the collar of Edmund's tunic and pulled him to the door, slamming it in his face. There! Peace and quiet at last!

"Well that wasn't very nice of him." Edmund commented as he headed down the hall to his own room.

In her room, Lucy sat by the fire, still crying to herself. When the flow of tears grew weaker and she found she was feeling a little bit better, Lucy got up, smoothing the wrinkles in the Telmarine dress she'd been forced to wear.

"It's only for a little while, Lu." Susan had told her that morning when she'd flat out refused to put it on. "We can't wear Narnian clothes here just yet, but things will change soon."

"How soon?" Lucy demanded.

"I don't know, don't be difficult." Susan huffed, thrusting the dress into her arms. "Just put it on."

The only Narnian clothes Lucy still had were her red dress and cape from Cair Paraval and they reeked of body odor now. Then she remembered that she still had the golden dress tucked away. She decided to take it out and look at it. She untied the bundle on her cordial belt and gently pulled out the shimmering gown. It was so lovely. Not even the richest most fashionable Telemarines owned clothes like this.

It's too bad that it wont fit me, Lucy thought sadly. Her eyes fell on the sewing kit on the left side of the fireplace. Maybe she could take it in a little. But she wasn't very good at sewing. Susan was better at that sort of thing. She thought of asking her to do it but Susan would just say it was impractical, even dangerous, to have a dress like that anyway.

Sighing deeply, Lucy took one last look at the dress before tucking it away again.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Lucy said.

A Telmarine chamber maid of about twenty or so, walked in and asked if the fire was hot enough.

"Yes, it's fine." Lucy told her.

"Do you have anything that needs to be washed or mended?" The Chamber maid asked.

Lucy thought of asking her to wash her Narnian clothes but was worried someone who didn't like Narnians night throw them away out of spite. It would be best to wait a while and then wash them herself. The mending however gave Lucy an idea.

"Can you teach me to sew?" Lucy asked her.

"You like sewing?" The chambermaid seemed surprised.

"No." Lucy admitted. "I hate it."

"Then why do you want to learn?" The chambermaid looked at her as though she had five heads.

Lucy didn't tell her about the dress she wanted to take in. "I just do." She said simply.

"I guess I could teach you then." The chambermaid told her agreeably. "Every well brought up Telmarine lady ought to know how to sew anyway."

"I'm not a Telmarine." Lucy reminded her, reaching for the thread to begin the lessons.


	6. The late night visitor and the quest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me (according to my author's note from 2008): I think this may be be some of my best work. 
> 
> Me today, re-posting this just in case anyone is interested in seeing this old hot mess again: Uuuuuuhhhhh.... So this is awkward...

Lucy had never really understood depression. She had never understood it simply because she'd never truly suffered from it. She had always been hopeful. She'd always been the one to put a brave face on nearly everything.

When Edmund betrayed them she had assured herself that this Aslan person (though they hadn't yet met him) couldn't save and even redeem the boy who'd fallen so far from grace.

When the white witch had came back for him, she was frightened but deep down in her heart, she knew Aslan wouldn't let her take him. Edmund belonged to them once more.

When Rabadash was determined to kidnap Susan and force her to marry him, Lucy had no fear. She knew that if by any chance Edmund failed to stop him, Peter would come back from his raid with the giants and do so.

She'd despaired only once in her life. When she'd seen Aslan's dead body on the stone table. At that moment, she had felt dead inside. She couldn't bare to see the good Lion she loved so dearly in such a state. Even with out his mane, he was so beautiful. She could see the mark where the stone knife had been plunged into her beloved Lion's heart. At that moment, Lucy felt she had nothing left to live for. And to think that Aslan had given up his life, to save the boy they called their brother.

After he'd come back to life, Lucy hadn't felt nearly as sad as that again. She very nearly promised herself she wouldn't ever let herself feel that hopeless again.

But now, in the Telmarine's castle, Lucy felt almost that far into despair once more. Not because she doubted that one day Caspian would take the throne and set all the Narnians free. No, she had faith enough in that. Not because she feared what would happen to herself. No, she was old enough to know she wasn't in any real danger. She felt so down-hearted because now that everything was settled without him, Aslan might never return. She might never see him again. And no level of peace could be right without him. Worst of all was the guilt that she put on herself.

At first she'd blamed Peter for all this. After all, he'd agreed to it. But then she remembered that all of this could have easily been avoided if she'd gone across the gorge to Aslan when she'd had the chance.

And so, Lucy's life in the castle carried on in deep sadness. She woke up crying in the mornings and wiped the tears away before someone brought breakfast to her in bed. Then she attended classes that good little Telmarine girls were supposed to attend. She paid almot no attention at all but it was so predicable that she managed to pass by with her marks. At lunch she sat at a great dinning table with Miraz, Prunaprismia, Caspian, Peter, Edmund, and Susan. She hated having meals with them.

Miraz was unpleasant to converse with. He talked of nothing but battles and take overs.

Caspian never spoke to Miraz at all because in spite to the treaty, Miraz was still the one who'd killed his father and he had nothing to say to such a man.

Edmund tried to talk to Lucy, Caspian, Susan, and Peter but that always fell flat.

Susan was somewhat awkward with them and acted more like the Telmarines every day. She spent a lot of time talking about fashions and other things of the sort with Prunaprismia whom she had suddenly befriended.

Prunaprismia was not fond of Caspian but she could manage civil conversation with him considering he was both the future king and the future husband of her companion.

Lucy liked talking to Edmund because he never tried to make her act happy-like Peter did-or more like a Telmarine-like Susan did-but she couldn't bring herself to talk to him at the table with everyone sitting around in the mist of an unspoken amount of tension that was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

After she was full and excused from the table, Lucy had her sewing lessons in her room. She hated them with a passion but kept at it simply because for some reason when she was sewing was the only time she didn't think about Aslan. She'd very nearly forgotten the original reason for wanting to learn how to sew, taking in the golden dress.

Though she hated it, she became remarkably good at it after a while. Though the blisters on her fingers hurt so badly that she wanted to scream from the pain, her stitches became lovely without a single mistake. In time the chambermaid told Lucy that there was nothing left to teach her.

"Lady Lucy," She had said shaking her head in amazement. "At first I was teaching you, but now it seems you ought to be teaching me. I could never manage such careful work if I struggled for a million years."

It made Lucy feel rather gloomy to think that people who loved sewing couldn't do as well as she had learned to, yet she who could never love it, could become a master with the fabric.

At night after a supper very much like lunch, she crawled back into bed and cried herself to sleep. She felt so lonely at night. She couldn't help but think of Aslan all alone in the darkness of her bed chamber.

One night, Lucy felt a slight give in the mattress and knew someone was climbing into bed beside her. Whomever it was, curled up comfortably in the covers, then dozed off as if they had as much right to be there as she did.

At first, Lucy didn't mind her visitor one bit. Somehow it was comforting to hear the strangely familiar breathing and know she was not truly alone. But after the sixth night in a row, she began to wonder who this late night comforter was.

She had read countless old stories about this sort of thing happening to a heroine in strange castles. Usually, the visitor was some strange beast who could turn into a man at night. A bear, a fox, or a lion. A Lion? Aslan? But common sense was enough to tell her that the person who slept beside her was too light to be Aslan.

Unlike the heroines in the stories she'd read so often, Lucy wasn't afraid of it being some faceless horror, or troll, or serpent in the bed with her. nor was she concerned that it might be a vile person whom she would never speak to in her waking life. Somehow she knew the person was good and that she cared about them a great deal.

When she could stand it no longer, Lucy decided to get up out of bed and light a candle to see who this person was. With her candle carefully in hand, Lucy tip-toed to the side of the bed, but stopped before any light could spill on the nighttime visitor. She stopped because she remembered that in the old stories, the heroine always brought trouble upon the visitor because she held a candle up to him and looked. And Lucy didn't want any trouble.

Come on, Lu, Lucy thought, pull yourself together! you are not in any old story and the visitor is not under any spell. You scare yourself too easily!

As she brought the candle closer she saw a dark-haired boy fast asleep his eye shut very tightly. "Edmund!" She gasped. That was why the breathing was so familiar and why she'd felt safe all this time. She couldn't feel unsafe sharing a bed with someone she'd known since she was a baby.

She was so startled that her hand shook the candle holder and chuck of the wax fell on Edmund's forehead.

"Ow!" he cried, waking up and putting his hand to his head.

Lucy was caught between wanting to laugh because it was so similar to what happened to the visitors in the stories, wanting to scold Edmund for not letting her know it was him in the first place, and wanted to help him and apologize for the new burn on his forehead. Her caring nature took over first.

"Ed, I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed, racing to her wardrobe where she kept the magic cordial. "Here..." She started opening the little diamond bottle. "It'll only take a drop."

Edmund tried to refuse. "No, it's only a little burn, you should save it for..."

It was too late, Lucy had already placed a drop into his open mouth.

"Sorry, I frightened you." Edmund apologized, sitting up in the bed now.

"What are you doing in here anyway?" Lucy asked, trying not to laugh.

Edmund turned a little red in the face. "Well I thought you might like some company. You cry a lot in your sleep now and my room isn't very comfortable anyway."

"It's been you all week?" Lucy asked to be sure.

Edmund nodded. "Earlier this week, I spilled the water jug on the floor of my room and I was really thirsty so I went down to the kitchen to re-fill it, and I heard you crying and I decided to invite myself for a visit so to speak."

Lucy smiled at him. "Thank you."

He smiled back. "You're welcome."

As for Peter, his life in the castle was no more pleasant than Lucy's was. He hated everything about it as well. He hated the classes they made him take. He hated training with the army. He hated the food. He hated Susan's new Telmarine ways. He hated the way Lucy looked at him now. He hated the concerned glances from Edmund. He hated being called Sir. Peter and not 'High King Peter'. But the thing he hated the most was watching Caspian and Susan fall in love with each other.

There was no doubt that was what was happening. At first they'd both been a bit uneasy around each other but then once they'd gotten used to the idea of being betrothed, that all changed.

They were happy together. Any fool could see that. Susan had always made it very clear that she was marrying Caspian only as part of the treaty but it didn't take a genius to see that she had other reasons now.

"So when's the wedding?" Peter had asked her once after he'd seen her and Caspian walking in the gardens earlier that day.

Susan shrugged. "We haven't decided yet." She acted as if it was no big deal.

"It's alright that you like him now, Su." Peter told her. "That's the way it should be."

"I never said I didn't like him." Susan pointed out.

"I know but, you-" Peter started.

Susan looked confused. "I what?"

"You are happy with him right?" Peter asked finally.

Susan thought it over. She was pretty happy in his company. She had learned to care for him and she had never disliked him to begin with. "Yes, I am."

"Good." Peter said with a smile. "Then that's all that matters."

"Why do you care so much?" Susan asked.

"Why wouldn't I?" Peter said. "I've always cared. Ever since that day when I let you into the house and Mum and dad never let you leave."

Susan smiled at the distant memory of their parents rubbing their eyes in confusion wondering why they now had four children and not two.

"I've always cared, even when you didn't notice." Peter said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Susan asked thinking that that was a pretty random thing to say.

"Nothing." Peter sighed. "It means nothing at all."

Meanwhile, Lucy was beginning to have strange dreams about Aslan. In her dreams, he was always in the distance and no matter how hard she tried, she could never get close to him. He was always the same distance away no matter what.

One night however, Lucy's dream changed and she found that she could get close to Aslan after all. She could get to him quite easily. So easily in fact that she wondered why she'd thought it so hard before. Finally reaching the great Lion, she stroked his fur, embraced him, and cried, "Oh, Aslan, I've missed you so much."

"And I have missed you also dear one." Aslan smiled at her and Lucy was so happy she thought her heart might burst.

"Aslan, wont you come to help us?" Lucy pleaded.

"Do you really need me to come?" He raised one of his golden eyebrows. "Hasn't it all been settled?"

"Oh, Aslan, I'm so sorry." Lucy told him. "I was just so scared to go across that gorge and come looking for you. I should have been braver."

"Lucy, dear heart," Aslan purred. "are you still too frightened to come to me on your own?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, I am not."

"Then come and find me." Aslan said gently. "It's still not too late."

"I will, Aslan." Lucy promised. "I will come right away and look for you."

Suddenly, Lucy's eyes shot open. She was awake and it had been a dream. Still in that dream, she'd made a promise that she fully intended to keep. She hastily jumped out of bed and reached for her Narnian clothes that she'd hidden behind countless Telmarine dresses. (She'd snuck down to the washroom and cleaned them herself so they no longer smelled bad).

Edmund woke up to the sound of someone stirring in the room. (He still slept with her every night. That way, neither of them felt the unbearable loneliness that struck them when he stayed in his own room).

"Lucy, what's going on?" He mumbled.

Lucy had changed and was now slipping the gray cloak over herself. "I'm going on a great quest Edmund, I'm going to go look for Aslan."

Edmund rubbed his eyes and moaned. "Lucy, have you gone mad?"

"Don't try to stop me, Edmund." Lucy told him. "I have to do this."

"Do what again?" It was far too early to be up. It wasn't even dawn yet.

"Find Aslan!" Lucy whisper-shouted.

"Oh that..." Edmund got up and went to his own room. When he turned he was wearing his own Narnian clothes (His unfortunately weren't cleaned and sort of smelled like B.O. but he put them on anyway).

Upon returning to Lucy's room, He saw that she wasn't there and raced down to the stables where Lucy was putting a saddle on Caspian's horse.

"Horse thief." Edmund joked by way of greeting.

"Oh, you don't think he'll mind do you?" Lucy looked a little worried. "I thought because it was for such a noble cause, Caspian might let me have him."

"Did you ask him first?" Edmund asked her.

"Of course not." Lucy shook her head. "If I tell him where I'm going he might try to make me stay. Or else he might tell Peter before I've had a change to set off. So I'm leaving a note in the stable that says that I have his horse and not to worry."

"Well then, who's horse am I stealing?" Edmund said.

"You?" Lucy gasped with surprise, realizing that Edmund had his own Narinan clothes on. (So that awful smell wasn't the horse after all!)

"I'm not going to let you go alone." Edmund told her. "This time, I'm going with you."

Lucy was touched but knew he couldn't come with her this time. "I'm sorry, Edmund." She sighed. "You can't come."

"Why not?"

"You have to stay here and tell Peter, Susan, and Caspian where I've gone." Lucy explained, tying her bundles to the saddle bags (Including the golden dress although she was not sure why she felt compelled to take it with her). "But don't tell any of the Telmarines-other than Caspian that is-and don't let Susan tell Miraz's wife."

"But it's not safe." Edmund protested.

"I'll be fine." She assured him. "I'm just going to find Aslan and ask him what is to be done about the current situation."

"What do you think he'll say?" Edmund asked.

"That's what I'm trying to find out." Lucy said. "But I promise I'll be back."

"I'll miss you." Edmund said his voice cracking a little as he struggled to hold back tears.

"I'll miss you too." Lucy whispered. "But I have to go."

"I know." Edmund forced a smile. "I won't try to stop you."

Lucy kissed him on the cheek, before attempting to jump onto the horse's back and make a fast getaway. However, she'd forgotten that she was sort of short now that she wasn't the grown up Narnian queen she'd once been.

Edmund gave her a lift up.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

And with that, Lucy rode off into fading darkness of the rising sun.


	7. Lucy's gone

As the sun rose higher in the sky and Edmund was fairly certain that Lucy was well on her way, he crept slowly down the corridor leading to Peter's bed chamber. Peter was sure going to be upset when he found out Lucy was gone.

Dreading confrontation even now, Edmund knocked softly on the door half hoping that Peter wouldn't hear him.

"Hullo?" The door swung open.

"Hey Pete." Edmund said trying to sound casual but sounding much more like a small child trying to find the courage to confess to breaking a cherished knick-knack.

"Ed?" Peter looked very concerned. Edmund's disheveled appearance at that hour was enough to make him worry. "What's wrong? Why are you wearing your Narnian clothes? You smell terrible. What's going on?"

Edmund walked passed him all the way into the room. "You may want to sit down." He warned him, closing the door behind them.

Peter didn't sit down. He stood by the fire place looking even more concerned. This had to be bad. "What is it?"

"Listen Peter, don't flip out but..." Edmund felt very uncomfortable under the former high king's anxious gaze. "...it's about Lucy...She sort of well...left to look for Aslan."

"She what?" Peter shouted his face going fairly red with anger.

"See, that's flipping out." Edmund commented dryly.

"Where did she go?" Peter demanded. "The woods?"

"I can honestly say I have no idea where Lucy went." Edmund told him truthfully.

"Why weren't you able to stop her?" Peter asked him.

"Well I didn't exactly try to." Edmund admitted.

Peter glared at him. "You just let her go?"

"I had to." Edmund protested. "She's right. We should have waited for Aslan, we don't belong here."

Peter shook his head furiously. "Call out the guards to find her and bring her back."

"We can't do that." Edmund told him. "This is something she needs to do. And besides, I promised her that the only Telmarine I would tell of her flight was Caspian. I wont break that promise."

"It's not safe for her out there." Visions of his poor baby sister being attacked or killed by wild animals or worse flooded through Peter's mind. He had to get her back to the safety of the castle right away.

"Aslan will protect her." Edmund said boldly.

"Aslan abandoned Narnia a long time ago, Edmund." Peter said darkly. "It's time to face facts. Now go call out the guards."

"No." Edmund told him flatly.

"Excuse me?" Peter's glare hardened.

"You heard me." Edmund glared right back. "You're being an idiot and your acting completely un-Narnian."

"What does that have to do with calling the guards?" Peter demanded.

"Simply that I am not your little errand boy, Pete!" Edmund snapped, standing up and heading for the door. "I've always done what you told me ever since our rein in Narnia. Even if I disagreed. And look where that's gotten us!" Turning to look at him one last time before he left he added, "You want to betray Lucy again? Do it yourself. I'm out!"

"Edmund, wait!" Peter pleaded.

All he got for an answer was a door slammed in his face.

Meanwhile, in the quiet woods, Lucy rode Caspian's horse willing him to go as fast as he could. When she thought he was giving way a little, she allowed him to slow down to a trot, then a walk. Once they reached a stream, Lucy let the horse drink and had a little water herself before climbing on his back again.

"I wonder," Lucy thought aloud. "Which way I should go? Back to the gorge where I first saw Aslan? Or in the direction of the sea that Aslan is always coming to Narnia over?"

"Queen Lucy?" A familiar voice gasped.

Just by the way the person addressed her, Lucy knew it wasn't a Telmarine. They all called her 'Lady Lucy'. It had to be a Narnian.

Sure enough, Trumpkin the dwarf was walking towards them.

Lucy was so pleased to see the DLF again that she threw her arms around him and gave him a tight hug.

"What are you doing here?" Trumpkin asked as soon as he was free from her grip and could breathe again. "Has Miraz died? Are we free now?"

Lucy shook her head. "I'm going to look for Aslan."

"Aslan?" Trumpkin muttered. "What good is he now?"

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked him.

Trumpkin sighed. "The Narnians are angry. They say you've all betrayed them and turned into Telmarines yourselves. They don't believe you're going to set us free."

"But you know that's not true, don't you?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, my queen, I do." Trumpkin said softly. "But it's only I, Reepicheep, Pattertwig, a bear, and a few others who still have faith in you sons of Adam."

"What do the others say?" Lucy felt certain she wasn't going to like the answer.

"They speak of rebelling." Trumpkin said gravely. "They want to attack the castle. Including your family."

Lucy shook her head. This was some mess they'd gotten into. But Aslan would surely be able to help if only she could reassure the Narnians that he would soon be on his way to them.

"Could you convince them to wait a little longer?" Lucy asked.

"I could try to." Trumpkin sighed. "But what could I say now?"

"Tell them that Queen Lucy, is no Telmarine." Lucy instructed him. "And that she's on her way to Aslan now and will bring him back this way if she can. And that her siblings are staying behind in the Telmarine castle waiting for her return. Tell them that to rebel against them now is in a sense, rebelling against Aslan."

"I could say that, but what would make them believe me?"

"This." Lucy pulled out her handkerchief. "This is a token of my promise. Show it to them, and keep it with you."

"What's that thing?" A little voice in the trees asked curiously.

It was Pattertwig, watching them from a branch.

"It's a handkerchief." Lucy told him.

"Do you really think you could find Aslan? Do you? do you?" He bounced on his branch excitedly.

"I hope so." Lucy sighed.

"Perhaps I should come with you..." Trumpkin offered. "...you are only a little girl after all..."

"No, you have to tell the others of my flight from the castle to find Aslan." Lucy reminded him.

"Maybe I could come?" Pattertwig offered.

"You?" Trumpkin laughed. "Don't let him your majesty, he'll talk your ear right off."

"I wouldn't mind the company." Lucy said thoughtfully. "If you can do with out him."

"Very well then." Trumpkin gave in. "Pattertwig, go with queen Lucy."

The squirrel jumped off the branch and into one of Lucy's saddle bags.

"Be safe." Trumpkin told her, looking at her with the saddest eyes Lucy had seen since over 1300 years ago when Tumnus confessed that he had plans to hand her over to the white witch.

"I will be." Lucy told him, climbing back on Caspian's horse. "You be safe too, DLF."

"Goodbye, My dear little friend." Trumpkin whispered into the wind as the hoof beats of the horse died away.

Back at the castle, Edmund had told Caspian and Susan of Lucy's flight.

Susan became hysterical and cried so much that Edmund-much as he hated it-had to threaten to slap her in order to make her stop wailing.

Caspian was quiet but clearly very worried. "Why didn't you stop her, Edmund?"

"That seems to be the question of the day." Edmund snapped, rolling his eyes.

"But it's not safe for her out there." Susan protested.

"The next person to say that again is getting flung off the south tower." Edmund warned her, getting more fed up with them by the second. "And Su?"

"Yes?"

"Don't tell Miraz's wife about Lucy's leaving." He ordered.

"Why not?"

"Lucy asked me to see to it that you didn't." Edmund explained.

"Well of all the cheek!" Susan frowned at him. "I don't tell her what she can and can't tell _her_ friends do I?"

Edmund stared her down.

"Fine I wont tell." Susan gave in.

"But how do we explain Lucy's disappearance?" Caspian asked.

Edmund hadn't thought of that. "I don't know."

"Maybe if we don't say anything, no one will notice." Susan suggested. "Except maybe her chambermaids, she did keep to herself a lot."

"We could just say she's gone missing and act like we don't know why." Caspian came up with.

"But then the guards would go looking for her." Edmund reminded them. "That's the last thing we want to happen."

"What if we say she went to visit the Narnians?" Susan offered. "She always liked them."

"I don't know." Caspian said, a bit unsure. "Miraz might not like that. he might say she is planning a rebellion against him."

Susan rolled her eyes. "She's a little girl, she can't lead an army."

"Of course not but..." Caspian tried.

"We're supposed to be at peace with the Narnians." Susan reminded him. "Lucy is close friends with many of them. To most of the Telmarines, it would seem fairly logical that she would visit them."

"I can't think of a better excuse." Edmund sighed. "I wish I could though. We don't want Miraz thinking we're planning anything."

"Edmund?" Peter came into Caspian's chamber where they were all sitting talking it over. "Can we talk for a moment?"

Edmund got up and followed him out into the hallway.

"I'm sorry that I always boss you around, Ed." Peter told him in a low voice.

"Are you?" Edmund asked sounding a bit hurt. "Why aren't the guards after Lucy yet?"

"Because I didn't call them." Peter explained. "I couldn't do that to her. I want to get her back here where it's safe more than anything but I can't bring myself to betray her again."

"At least now you understand." Edmund said.

"I just keep seeing that look she gave me when I excepted the treaty." Peter looked like me might cry. "I was only trying to help the Narnians. I thought it would be such an easy and safe way to end 1300 years of blood shed. I just wish I could talk to Lucy one more time."

"By the Lion, Peter!" Edmund rolled his eyes. "She's not dead."

"I know." He said softly. "but she isn't here."

Susan walked out into the hallway and came up to them. "Peter about Lucy...you aren't going after her are you?"

"That's not a bad idea." Peter thought aloud.

"Thanks a lot, Su." Edmund frowned at his sister. Now Peter was going to try to go off into the woods by himself looking for Lucy who was looking for Aslan. Oh yeah, nothing could possibly go wrong there. "you can't go after her Peter, if you go missing and we have to say you're visiting the Narnians, Miraz will be furious."

"So?" Peter asked. "What does that matter?"

"He might think you want to be king again and are planning to over throw him with the Narnian army." Edmund explained.

"But we're all on Caspian's side." Peter shrugged. "And he's next in line for the throne."

"He might think you've changed your mind and try to get the Narnians before they get him." Edmund said. "By going after Lucy, you might start another war."

"He's right." Susan said in a small voice. "There's nothing we can do that wouldn't cause a row."

Peter sighed deeply. "Well that's that then."

"Peter, don't be so sad." Susan tried to cheer him up. "She'll come back soon." She lowered her voice. "Maybe she'll even have some word from Aslan, or maybe she'll get tired of looking and come home."

"This isn't our home, Su." Peter said suddenly. "I was a fool to a agree to pretend it was."

"Peter..." Susan reached out and touched his shoulder.

Suddenly, looking at the glance Peter gave his sister, Edmund finally figured out what girl Peter had meant. He couldn't believe he hadn't seen it sooner. Of course Peter didn't care for any of the Telmarine girls or dryads. He was in love with Susan! Edmund had suspected that Peter had feelings for her for quite some time but had thought maybe he was wrong after he had so willingly let her get betrothed to Caspian.

"Dear. Sweet. Aslan." Edmund muttered as the realization hit him.

"What's wrong with you?" Susan asked.

He looked at Peter and grabbed his arm, and pulled him into one of the guest chamber rooms. "We need to talk, now!"

"What?" Peter asked as soon as they were alone in the room and the door was shut.

"It's Susan isn't it?" Edmund asked him.

"What are you talking about?" Peter asked, wrinkling his forehead in confusion.

"The girl you claim doesn't exist?" Edmund folded his arms across his chest as he spoke.

"No." Peter lied turning beet red.

"Peter, if you have those sort of feelings for her, why didn't you ever say anything?" Edmund asked him.

"I don't feel that way about her." Peter lied again.

"In denial are we?" Edmund asked.

"You're insane." Peter told him. "She's like a sister to me. We were raised in the same family, of course I don't feel that way. There's nothing to deny."

"Sure there's not." Edmund rolled his eyes.

Peter opened the door, looked out to see if anyone was listening in, then closed it again. "Alright, I love her." He huffed. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"And you're letting her marry someone else _why_?" Edmund asked.

"Because it was the only way to save the Narnians." Peter told him. "And besides, even then she liked Caspian better than me."

"Ouch." Edmund felt sorry for him. "What are you going to do?"

"Nothing." Peter said simply. "And don't you dare tell anyone this conversation every took place, got it?"

"Got it." Edmund said.

Riding through the woods deeper and deeper, Lucy came to a place that seemed strangely familiar. "What is this place?"

"I don't know." Pattertwig told her. "Do you think Aslan's here?"

Lucy shook her head no. "Probably not. Let's ride a little more that way, I think I've been here before."

"It looks like a ruin don't it?" Pattertwig motioned to the fallen down castle that was slightly over run by trees.

Some parts of it were still standing but most of it was a messed up tangle of vines and bricks.

Suddenly, Lucy knew where she was. It was a place she had gone many times during her rein as queen in Cair Paravel. This castle wasn't in Narnia but it was fairly close by.

"Anvard." She said softly, looking out at the ruin that was once the home of some of her closest friends.


	8. What Lucy found in the ruins of Anvard

Although it wasn't quite as painful as seeing Cair Paravel in ruins, Anvard was a close second. It seemed more like a broken down cathedral overgrown with weeds, a sacred place never to be seen by human eyes again than it did the cheerful home of King Lune.

In her mind's eye, Lucy could still see a little fair-haired boy named Corin rushing about excitedly. And in the back of her mind she could still hear his cries of, "Father, father, they're here!" as he raced out to great them.

Despite the fact that there was quite and age difference between them, Lucy and Corin had been good friends. Much as she loved him however, he was Susan's little boy and she'd always been more comfortable around his twin brother Cor. She's also befriended Cor's wife Aravis. The two of them had a lot in common and used to spend hours laughing, talking, riding horses, practicing archery, swimming, playing tricks on the twins, and hundreds of other things.

Lucy slipped down from the saddle of Caspian's horse. The poor horse let out a slightly frightened snort. "It's alright, Destrier." Lucy said softly, stroking the horse's side a bit to reassure him that he wasn't in any danger.

Destrier had never seen a ruin before and couldn't be blamed for being a little alarmed. He was a good horse but he wasn't a talking horse, he was only a poor dumb beast that didn't know any better than to fear the strange quiet place they'd stopped at.

"Pattertwig, stay here with the horse." Lucy told him. "I'm going to look through the castle."

"Castle?" Pattertwig looked very confused. "Where? Where? All I see is a bunch of fallen down bricks."

"It's a ruin." Lucy explained. "it used to be a castle called Anvard."

"Are you sure this is the place?" Pattertwig asked. "It mightn't be the same castle..."

"I think I know Anvard when I see it." Lucy said firmly but not unkindly.

"Do you think Aslan's in there?" Pattertwig asked her.

"No, but I want to see if there's anything left." Lucy said shortly, not because she was cross but because she was eager to have a look around and the conversation was delaying her.

Being careful not to go under anything that looked too unstable (It wouldn't be seemly for the great quest to come to an end because of an old pillar falling on her head), Lucy began to explore the ruin. There didn't seem to be much left. The place had probably been raided a long time ago. Anything of value was long gone. It seemed that the only things remaining there were her memories.

Suddenly, Lucy slipped on a lose stone and fell forward, scraping her chin. She felt blood coming up from the wound but not a lot of it. It wasn't too bad. A mere scratch when all was said and done. What was more noteworthy than the blood was the strange silver box that was now sticking out of where the stone had been.

It looked like it had been there a long, long, time. Much longer than 1300 years. It was so old Lucy guessed it might have been there hundreds of years before she and her siblings ruled in Cair Paravel.

Reaching down, Lucy struggled to get a grip on the box. It was fairly tiny. Smaller than a shoe box and about the average size of a music box. The only problem was that she couldn't tell the exact the size of it because half of it was still stuck in the ground. It look a lot more pulling and when she finally unearthed the thing, her fingers were a mess. The nails were filled with dirt and the fingers themselfs were covered in little splinter-sized cuts.

These little cuts hurt so much that Lucy had to rest for a moment before attempting to lift the latch on the box. Thankfully, the latch wasn't very tough and she quickly snapped it all the way open.

Inside was a yellowed letter of some sort and a ring made of gold that looked rather like a man's wedding band. (This turned out not to be a wedding band after all, in spite of what it looked like).

Lucy looked at the letter first, careful not to tear the paper as she unfolded it to see it's contents. Though slightly smudged, it was still readable if Lucy held it up to the light.

" _My dearest son, Len..."_ The letter started. " _I am very pleased to hear that you have been crowned king of Archenland. Here in Narnia, your father, King Frank has just passed the crown to your brother Omar. We would love to visit your new castle, this place you call Anvard and will arrive within a few days. Omar cannot come with us this time, he is far too busy but he wishes us to send you his love."_

Lucy remembered King Lune telling her stories of the first king of Archenland, King Len. She remembered it very clearly not only because they were wonderful stories that where nearly impossible to forget, but also because she recalled both Edmund and Susan wearing very strange expressions on their faces while King Lune was telling the tales. Susan especially looked strained as he spoke, as though she was struggling to remember something. After the stories where over, Susan's face would return to normal.

Often she'd say, "Ed, what do those stories remind you of? I keep thinking of something but I can't quite put my finger on it."

"I don't know." Edmund would answer. "I was hoping you did. It does remind me of something...but what?"

Lucy looked back at the letter. " _Len, darling, I have some rather odd news to share with you. The great Lion Aslan himself visited our court of Narnia yesterday..."_

Lucy felt her heart race faster at the mention of Aslan.

" _He caught me looking at the old portrait of your missing brother and sister. He said a very strange thing to me. He said that though I was never to see those lost children again in Narnia, that they would infect return after the time of myself and your father. And that they would rein as king and queen after helping save Narnia from great peril. And that they were both well and safe. I pleaded with the the Lion to tell me where they were. He said they were living in the world Frank and I came from but in a differen't time, with a very nice family. The mother of this family is named Helen as well. I don't know why, but I found that little fact very comforting. Silly, I know. I just hope this Helen Pevensie-as Aslan calls her-and her husband are taking good care of my darlings. Not once in all these years, no matter how many other children I have had and loved, could I stop missing them. The Dear Prince Edmund and Princess Susan of Narnia."_

Lucy let out a gasp. Edmund and Susan weren't the children of street people as they'd always assumed but their parents were Narnian. Edmund and Susan were even more Narnian than she and Peter were. Full blooded Narnians. A former prince and princess. Which would explain everything. Susan's fine dress that she'd long outgrown and given to Lucy (She could fit in it because she was small for her age), The looks on their faces when King Lune spoke of Len...everything.

" _Along with us, your father and I are bringing Master Koreen and your sisters Amallie and Ellie.(_ Note: Amallie and Ellie were born at least three years after Edmund and Susan left Narnia and moved in with the Pevensies, thus the reason they are not mentioned in the Prologue) _we shall be with you very soon, Love always, Mother."_

Next, Lucy turned her attention to the ring. She noticed it had the name _Edmund_ engraved on it.

The reason for this was that each of the sons of King Frank and Queen Helen had a gold band with their name on it made by friendly dwarfs and gnomes that lived in mines in the northwest of the Narnian mountain range. Each boy was given his ring when he turned fifteen. It was a right of passage sort of thing. Omar, Len, and other boys that Helen later gave birth to, were given their rings when they came of age. Edmund however had gone missing long before his ring was to be given to him, so it had been put in the box untouched for centuries.

Lucy slipped the ring onto her thumb (The only finger it fit) and admired the gold glittering in the sunshine. It reminded her of her golden dress and of Aslan's golden mane. Somehow, the ring made her feel hopeful and she liked that.

Back at Miraz's castle, Susan and Caspian wandered through the palace gardens.

"Look at those roses." Susan commented, motioning to the bush near the castle wall. "They're so beautiful."

"You like them?" Caspian asked even though he already knew perfectly well that she did.

"Yes, they remind me of my mum's roses back home in England." Susan told him. "She keeps them out back and looks after them all summer, then they die in the winter, or sooner if Lucy and Edmund accidentally trample them."

"Do you miss your own world very much?" Caspian had often wondered if she pined for the world she came from. Of course she had lived happily in Narnia for 15 years without complaining but she still might miss this place she called 'England.'

Susan shook her head. "Not really. There was a war going on there before and I've always felt more at home in Narnia anyway."

"I see. Did you fight in the war?" Caspian figured she probably went about with her bow and arrows in this 'England' place just like she did in during the night raid.

Susan laughed a little at his question. "No, of course not. Not even Peter fought in that war. Father went away to war though."

"Was he hurt?" Caspian noticed the sad look on her face.

"No." Susan told him. "But it was hard on all of us. Edmund became impossible after father left. Peter had too much weight on his shoulders. Lucy didn't fully understand what was going on, I think."

"What happened?" Caspian wanted to know.

"We found Narnia." Susan said simply. "We ruled here for 15 years, then we went home."

"Did your father come back?" He asked.

"Yes, he was fine." Susan assured him. "I think it was sort of weird for Peter though."

"How so?" Caspian asked.

"He'd gotten so used to being the father figure to Lucy that I think it was sort of awkward for him that Lucy had a real mother and father again. But he got used to it in time." Susan explained, She left out the fact that in spite of that, Peter never truly got over not being a king anymore. And that he fought with the other boys. And that she worried about him more than she let on. Those were things she never told anyone, not even Caspian.

A while later, after they'd been walking quietly and conversation had come to a halt, Caspian turned to Susan. There was something he wanted to tell her.

"Susan, I know that we're only marrying to save the Narnians but I..."

"You what?" Susan asked, taking a step closer to him now.

"I love you." Caspian finally managed. "I always liked you, which is why I was so willing to go along with this but it's more than just that now." He took one of her hands in his.

"It's so much more than that now." Susan agreed, smiling up at him.

"Which is why I thought even though we're already betrothed I should do this properly." Caspian got down on one knee, still holding her hand. "Queen Susan of Narnia," he started.

Susan got a little misty eyed.

"Will you marry me? Not just for the sake of the treaty but simply for me?" Caspian looked up at her hopefully.

"Yes." Susan cried happily. "I will."

Caspian got up off his knee and kissed her.

Unknown to either of them, Peter was watching all this from the window.

"Spying again are we?" a voice behind him said suddenly, causing Peter to jump at least a foot off the ground.

He calmed down when he realized it was only Edmund.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" Peter told him sharply.

"Peter, are you ever going to tell her?" Edmund asked him. "As opposed to scowling at the window?"

"No." Peter said firmly. "You know why I can't."

Edmund nodded. "I know, but you can't spend the rest of your life like this."

Peter knew Edmund was right but he didn't know didn't know what to do about it.


	9. Life gets harder

"Queen Lucy, are you alright? Are you? Are you?" Pattertwig's little black-bead coloured eyes widened when he saw Lucy returning from the ruin a little more banged up then when she'd gone in. Her chin bore scratches and her hands looked cut up.

"I'm fine, really." Lucy forced a smile so as not to frighten the twitchy little creature. "It stings a little, that's all."

With that, she tried to swing herself back onto the horse's saddle but her hurt hands and short legs made this difficult. She wished Edmund were there to help her. Trying for the fifth time in a row to get on the horse, Lucy jolted one of the saddle bags and with a sudden flash of something silver coloured, noticed something she hadn't packed tucked away in there. It was Edmund's electric torch. He must have slipped it in there for her before she'd ridden off.

Tears came to her eyes at the thought of him leaving that for her. She knew how much he loved that new torch. It had been a gift from their grandparents and he was very proud of it. He wouldn't have parted with it for anything. Anything that is, expect if he thought Lucy might need it.

She tried to get on the horse again, this time she made it all the way on and Pattertwig let out a cheer. "Hooray for Queen Lucy!"

Smiling at the squirrel, Lucy gently urged the horse to start off again. And they rode further along, hopefully in the direction of the eastern sea. She hoped Aslan would be there waiting when she reached it.

Back at Miraz's castle, Peter was pacing the floor in his room back and forth.

"Pete, you're wearing out the floor." Edmund half-joked. He was sitting on Peter's bed reading a boring book of Telmarine history, not to learn, but to mock it in his head.

"What's that?" Peter looked startled like he'd forgotten Edmund was even in the room with him. "You still here?"

"Gosh, you've been really out of it." Edmund commented, shutting the book with a light thud.

"No I haven't." Peter denied. "I've been perfectly normal."

Edmund let out a slight snort. "Normal for a high-strung great great grandfather on lots of strong medicine, maybe."

"Alright." Peter gave in. "Maybe I am a little anxious."

"A little?" Edmund cocked his head and raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, a lot." Peter admitted, looking at the blank wall on the other side of the room.

"Worried about Lucy?" Edmund said, it was the first time anyone mentioned her in nearly a day and a half. "She'll be fine. She might even be with Aslan right now, for all we know."

Peter looked at him sadly. "I wish I had your faith."

"It's not all that strong, really." Edmund told him. "Sometimes I think I have the weakest faith of all four of us. But not when I think of Lucy."

"Why is that?" Peter asked.

"I don't know..." Edmund got a far off look his eyes. "Something about her always makes me feel like I can be better, different, stronger, like I can believe if I just want to."

"She makes everyone feel like that." Peter smiled a little, thinking of his little sister.

"I think she'll be alright." Edmund said, smiling himself now.

"You know what?" Peter said with a slight sigh.

"What?"

"I think so too." He stopped pacing and sat down in a chair, though not feeling exactly calm, he had to admit that he felt a little better.

Riding along, Lucy came to a sort of rocky stone ground a sort of gorge, nature's sea-wall kind of place. Deciding that it would be best to try and get the horse to jump over the lowest part of the wall, she headed to the left side where some of the stones were a tad crumbly and not as high up.

"Are we going to jump over that?" Pattertwig looked worried, swaying his little brown head from side to side as he spoke. "Are we?"

"Yes, but not here." Lucy motioned to the lowest part of the wall. "There."

"Ah, I see." The squirrel seemed a bit less shaky now and finally managed to sit still for about half a second.

"I hope you're here, Aslan." Lucy said softly as she urged Destrier into a jump.

For a moment, they were air-bone and Lucy thought Pattertwig was going to start bawling from fear (He probably would have if the jump had lasted just a little longer). Then finally, the light sound of hoofs hitting the sand reached Lucy's ears and she breathed a sigh of relief. Neither she nor Pattertwig had fallen off.

After looking around from her seat on Caspian's horse, Lucy got off and explored the beach on foot. She wondered where Aslan could be. And a terrible thought entered her head. _Maybe he's not here at all._

It had been going on three days since Lucy left. Susan worried about her constantly. She wondered why little Lucy hadn't the sense to stay in the castle like the rest of them. It was much safer here. And living with the Temarines wasn't too bad. Sure they weren't half so interesting or kindly as the Narnians but it wasn't that big of a deal. Soon they'd all be able to live together. After Miraz's death. It might be a few years but they could manage that, couldn't they?

"Susan, are you alright?" Prunaprismia asked, coming up behind her.

"Of course." Susan forced a smile to hide the fact that she was worrying. She'd promised Edmund she wouldn't tell about were Lucy had really gone. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know, you seem worried." The queen shrugged.

"I'm fine." Susan assured her. It was funny how things changed. Back when they were at war and Susan had burst into Queen Prunaprismia's chambers with her bow and arrows pointed, she would have never thought she could be friends with such a person. But how they talked about all sorts of fashions and things as if they'd known each other all their lives.

"When is your sister coming back from her visit with the Narnians?" She asked by way of making conversation.

"Oh, very soon." Susan lied. She of course had no idea when Lucy would return.

"That's good."

"Yes, it is."

"So, when are you going to start planning your wedding?" Prunaprismia wanted to know.

Susan wasn't sure. Part of her wanted to plan the wedding and get married as soon as she could. Maybe in a month or so. But another part of her wanted to wait until the Narnians were free. She may have been the one who adjusted to Telmarine live the easiest but there was a part of her that-though well hidden at times-would always be Narnian. In any case, she couldn't get married with out Lucy present and who knew when she would be back?

"Oh, I don't know." Susan told her. "I think I'm still getting used to being engaged."

"Are you sure there's nothing bothering you?" Prunaprismia pressed.

"Yes, I'm sure." Susan forced another smile.

"Well you can always talk to me if you need to." She reminded her.

"Thank you." Susan nodded politely before going back to her bed chambers.

Late that night, Edmund was restless, unable to fall asleep. He slept in his own bed chamber now. He'd stayed in Lucy's chamber the first night she'd been away but it wasn't the same without her. He missed hearing her reassuring steady breathing and little almost-talking sounds she sometimes made when she was dreaming.

Wide awake, looking up at the ceiling, Edmund thought he heard foot steps in the passage. The sound seemed to be coming from the east wing of the castle-where Susan and Lucy's chambers were-to the west wing where his chamber and Peter's chamber were located. Judging by the footsteps patterns, the person was headed for Peter's room.

The steps seemed too heavy and fast to be Susan's and as no one else in the east wing would have reason to come this way, Edmund was full of curiosity about it. If he'd been wide awake before, he was even more so now. He grabbed his sword (Just in case) and causally opened the door a crack so he could see the person (If it was a person) as he (It?) went passed.

It was Peter, heading back to his room looking a little unsettled and even a bit guilty.

What in the world was Peter doing coming from that way? The only explanation would be that he was visiting Susan. But at that hour? Why?

"Peter!" Edmund hissed, walking out into the passage way.

Peter gulped and turned around. Seeing it was Edmund, he let out a sigh. "Thank the lion." He muttered. "It's only you!"

"Who did you think I was?" Edmund asked.

"Caspian? Miraz? Caspian's Professor? Take your pick." Peter said.

"Where did you just come from?" Edmund asked, folding his arms across his chest as he spoke.

"No where." Peter lied, wondering if he should make a run for it straight to his chamber.

"How stupid do you think I am?" Edmund asked him.

"What's that? A trick question?" Peter said, trying to change the subject.

Edmund laughed a little at that. "Nice try, Pete."

"Alright, I just came from the east wing." Peter gave in. "There. Happy now?"

" _Where_ in the east wing?" Edmund pressed.

"Susan's chamber." Peter whispered. "but Edmund, please don't tell anyone."

"Of course I'm not going to tell!" Edmund snapped. "What do you take me for?"

"Sorry." Peter put his hand to his forehead. "I'm just really tired, that's all."

"So what happened?" Edmund asked.

"Nothing." Something about the way Peter said it, clued Edmund into the fact that that was not the truth.

Edmund looked his straight in the eye until he broke down and said, "Well maybe I kind of..."

"Kind of what?" Edmund asked wondering if he was going to like the answer.

"Kind of told her how I felt." Peter looked down unable to look him in the eye.

"You did?" Edmund nearly choked on his own spit from surprise. "What happened to, 'you know why I can't'?"

"Well I didn't mean to." Peter explained. "It just slipped out."

"How?"

"By accident?" Peter looked very uncomfortable.

Edmund lowered his voice. "You accidentally told her you were in love with her?"

Peter nodded, turning a little red in the face.

Edmund rolled his eyes. "Only you could say something like that by mistake."

"Well in my defense I kept it secret for a really long time." Peter reminded him.

"How long?"

"Since I was eight?" Peter guessed.

Edmund looked confused. "Didn't you kick sand in her face when you were eight?"

Peter managed a nervous laugh. "What's your point?"

"Why didn't you tell her during the fifteen years we were in Narnia before now?" If he had cared about her for so long why was it all coming to a head now all of sudden?

"I tried once..." Peter looked both ways to make sure no one was listening to them.

"And?"

"And I vomited before I could get the words out." Peter told him.

"You threw up?" Edmund couldn't believe that.

Peter nodded. "And Susan called the royal physician who made me say 'ah' over and over again."

Edmund chuckled.

"It's not funny." Peter growled.

"Well what did she say?" Edmund tried to sound supportive.

Peter's face went dark crimson. "Would you look at the time? I'd better get to bed." He tried to walk off, But Edmund grabbed onto his sleeve and held him back.

"What happened?" Edmund asked, his voice full of concern now.

"You don't want to know." Peter told him.

"Come on, Pete, how bad could it be?" Edmund tried to be supportive.

"We may have kissed." Peter finally admitted. "And then I may have run out of the room."

Edmund gulped. "Oh, that bad."

"But seriously Ed, you can't tell anyone." Peter begged him.

"I wont." Edmund assured him. "but what about Caspian?"

"What about him?" Peter looked a bit annoyed now.

"What about the little fact that he and Susan happen to be engaged?" Edmund snapped.

"I don't know." Peter said. "I've never been this confused in my life."

"How's Su taking it?" Edmund asked.

"I don't know. I told you, I ran out of the room before she said anything." Peter said.

Edmund sighed to himself. He decided he'd better go and see if Susan was alright.

Back on the beach of the eastern sea, Lucy laid on the gold-white sand looking up at the stars. Oh Aslan, where are you?

She flicked Edmund's electric torch on and off again out of nervousness forgetting about saving the battery. Then she switched it off and placed it beside her.

Everything was still and even Patterwig's snoring was droned out by the sound of the lapping waves. Lucy closed her eyes, when she opened them again, it was nearly daybreak. She was very surprised. She hadn't realized she'd been asleep.

Walking toward her was a large golden-maned lion. His cat lips were curled up into a smile as he came closer.

"Aslan!" Lucy cried happily, running to him and throwing her arms around him. "Oh, dear Aslan! At last!"

"You have done well, Queen Lucy." Aslan told her.

"I'm so sorry I didn't come before." Lucy told him, tears forming in her eyes.

"It's alright, all is forgiven, child." He said kindly. "However, dear one, saving Narnia will be harder because of what you have done."


	10. trouble and golden thread

Some hours before Lucy found Aslan, Edmund went into Susan's chamber after his shocking conversation with Peter.

Susan was sitting in a chair by the fireplace in her bedchamber, staring blankly into the fire. She'd never felt so overwhelmed and bewildered in her life. (No wait, that wasn't strictly true, she had felt the same amount of confusion that cold night when Peter let her and Edmund into the house for the first time. But that was a very different sort of confusion than this was).

The door creaked open. "Su?"

"Peter?" Had he come back? Susan looked up at the doorway, expecting to see him standing there, and was rather surprised to see Edmund instead.

"It's just me." Edmund told her, coming all the way into the room and closing the door behind him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Susan told him looking back into the fire.

"I know." Edmund wasn't sure how to tell her this.

"What are you talking about, Ed?" Susan said.

"I know about Peter and his er...feelings..." Edmund shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"Oh, that." Susan pulled a shawl tightly around her shoulders and shook her head.

"You're not alright are you?" Edmund asked gently.

Tears came to Susan's eyes but she persisted in holding them back. She wouldn't cry about this. Not by herself and certainly not in front of Edmund.

"Susan?" Edmund tried.

"Go back to bed." Susan told him. "It's late."

"Su..." Edmund didn't know what to do with himself. He was fairly aching to run over to his sister, throw his arms around her and comfort her but he wasn't sure if that was really what she needed right then.

"I should have known." Susan's voice was soft, almost a whisper. She seemed to be talking more to herself than to Edmund.

"Should have known what?" Edmund asked taking a step closer to Susan's chair.

"I should have known that I'd fall for him." a few tears escaped, barely noticeable if the fire's light didn't shine on them making them look like little pieces of silver sliding down her face.

"So you feel the same way as he does?" Edmund asked to be sure.

Susan nodded. "I shouldn't though. What about Caspian? I still love him. Everything was falling into place and then..." Her voice trailed off.

"...This happened." Edmund finished for her.

"Oh, Ed!" Susan cried, looking at her brother pleadingly. "What am I going to do?"

"How should I know?" Edmund felt like the walls were closing in around him. He didn't know what to do for her or Peter or Caspian. Why were they putting him in the middle of all this? How was he supposed to know what was right?

"You saw Peter in the hallway, right?" Susan asked him.

"Yes." Edmund told her.

"Did he say anything about me?" Susan wanted to know.

"Um, yeah...sort of..." Edmund muttered. "That's how I found out about this..."

"I see." Susan said looking back at the fire again.

"Well Su, I don't know what to tell you but..." Edmund started.

Susan looked up at him, clearly listening very closely, desperate for advice even if it was just from her younger brother.

"You are only betrothed to one of them." He said pointedly. "And that isn't only because of the treaty, I've heard."

Susan looked very surprised. How could he have known what she and Caspian had talked about? Her eyes narrowed a little. "Have you been spying on me?"

"No, Peter has." Edmund blurted out before he had time to think over whether or not selling Peter out was a good idea.

A half smile formed on Susan's face. "He should have said something."

"Yeah, he really should have." Edmund said supportively.

"I'm such a fool." Susan muttered. "I should have known this was going to happen."

"It's not your fault, Su." Edmund said.

"Isn't it?" Susan shook her head. "That night when you, Lucy, and Trumpkin where getting the fire wood...I felt something, or I could have if I'd just let myself. I shouldn't have ignored it."

Edmund was silent. He didn't know what to say to that.

"I can't believe I didn't see it until now." Susan muttered. "Back during those 15 years...Ed, do you remember when Peter went to fight those giants in the north?" her voice got a bit stronger and Edmund realized that she wasn't talking to herself anymore but to him.

"Yes, of course." Edmund said, thinking back. "That was when you were courting that awful Prince Rabadash, wasn't it?"

Susan shuddered at the very mention of his name. "Don't remind me." For a moment she wore a sour, sickened expression on her face. Then it turned gloomy again. "Anyway, I should have known there was something between us by how much I missed him when he was gone."

"We all missed him, Su." Edmund reminded her. "Lucy cried when she we got false word that he was hurt, I bit my finger nails until they bled. It didn't mean anything like that."

"Oh, you don't understand!" Susan sigh-cried. "I missed him in a different way. Not more or less, just different."

Edmund wondered if 'different' might describe how he felt about Lucy's being gone now. He wondered if he missed her in a 'different' way than Susan and Peter did. But he quickly shook those thoughts out of his mind. He had enough to worry about without thinking about silly things like that. He certainly didn't feel that way about Lucy. This was Lu after all. The same girl he flicked toilet water at when he was five. And besides, the problem at the moment, had nothing to do with himself or Lucy. It had to do with Peter, Susan, and Caspian.

"'Edmund, I want you to promise me something." Susan said rather sternly.

Edmund didn't like where this was going. "What is it?"

"Promise you wont say a word about this to Peter or Caspian." Susan begged, reaching for her brother's hand. "Please?"

"What are you going to do?" Edmund asked her before promising anything.

"Do?" Susan blinked at him in confusion.

"I mean about all these..." Edmund squirmed uncomfortably, still not at ease talking about this sort of thing with his sister. "...feelings..." Ugh, 'feelings' was officially the worst word ever invented. Edmund felt that if he had to hear or say it again, he'd vomit.

"Nothing." Susan said simply. "Nothing at all. Like you said, I'm only betrothed to one of them." Her expression hardened. "And you _are_ going to promise not to ever tell anyone especially Caspian and Peter how I feel about this, Right Edmund?"

Edmund gave in. "Right. I wont tell anyone about your...feelings..." Ew. He still hated that word.

"Thank you." Susan's eyes were full of gratitude.

"You're welcome, Su." Edmund was trying to decide if he should leave the room now or if Susan still wanted to talk.

"Goodnight." Susan said dismissively but not unkindly.

"Night." It was a night alright but certainly not a good one in the least.

Back on the eastern beach the morning after that unfortunate night at Miraz's castle, Lucy stood with Aslan, her voice shaking a little as she softly asked him, "How do you mean, 'harder'?" Her eyes shinning brightly with joy but also with deep perplexity. "Can't you just come roaring in and save us like last time?"

Aslan shook his head. "Thing never happen the same way twice, dear one."

"If I'd come sooner...the deaths, the treaty, all of it...could I have stopped that?" Lucy asked meekly.

"We can never know what would have happened." Aslan explained rather gravely. "But what will happen we are free to explore."

"Oh you will help us, wont you?" Lucy stroked his fur tenderly.

Aslan let out a purr. "Yes of course, but Lucy, you must take the lead in rescuing your brother."

Lucy didn't understand what on earth the Lion meant. Edmund and Peter weren't in any danger. Were they? Both were back at Miraz's castle waiting safely for her. Weren't they?

"Rescue?" Lucy crinkled her forehead. "From what?"

"Lucy, there is something you didn't learn in your Telmarine history lesson that may be the end of the golden age's high king." Aslan's voice was more solemn than ever now.

"Peter?" Lucy thought she was going to be sick. Was something happening to her brother?

"There is good time for you to understand later for he is not yet in trouble...he hasn't been caught breaking the law...yet..." Lucy noticed that Aslan looked very pained. "Oh, if only that son of Adam had waited a little longer for me to arrive."

"What law?" Lucy asked. Peter had never broken any laws that she'd known of. Maybe it was a really stupid law like the one that Tumnus had been taken prisoner for over 1300 years ago.

"I will explain later." Aslan told her. "In the meantime, you have work to do."

Lucy was willing to do any work Aslan asked from her but what could this work possibly be?

"Lucy, go behind that rock, and bring to me what you find there." Aslan instructed, motioning with his nose to a boulder a few feet away from them.

Lucy crept over to the boulder. Behind it was a rusty key, a black cloak, and a spool of golden thread. She picked up all these things and brought them to Aslan.

"Child, have you still the golden dress from the days of your ruling?" Aslan asked her.

Lucy nodded, walked over to her saddle bag and pulled out the golden dress.

"Do you know how to sew?" Aslan wanted to know. "I mean, could you take the dress in a bit with out ruining the fabric?"

"Yes, Aslan." Lucy told him. "I worked very hard to learn though, I'm not sure why I did."

"It was a wise move." Aslan assured her. "Put the cloak and key away for now, I will explain them later. Now start on the dress."

Lucy picked up the golden tread. For a moment she worried about having no needle to work with but them found that one was tucked in the spool itself.

"A word of advice, Lucy." Aslan cautioned her. "Take in the dress only so it just barely fits you and be sure to save all the fabric you take off."

"Yes, Aslan." Lucy started on the dress now.

She worked hard, it took many hours. The skirt was much to long for her here, the glossy sleeves were too extended there. The waist was too large. And of course she had to work slowly so as not to damage a single piece of the fine golden fabric. When she was done, Aslan told her to make a long veil out of the remaining pieces of golden fabric and thread.

"A long veil." Aslan told her. "Make it so that it covers your face completely when you wear it."

Lucy asked Aslan if she might use the thinner fabric inside the veil the thicker parts going outwards to make it like a sort of tinted window that she could see out of but it was harder to see into.

"A fine idea." Aslan had agreed with a nod of approval thought he added a warning. "But you might not like to see what you will be sure see, through the veil when the time to use it comes."

She shuddered at the thought of what horror might await her but she trusted Aslan and worked without further questioning.

When all the work was finished, Lucy looked up at the sky and saw the sun setting. The day was coming to a close. Her fingers hurt terribly. The cuts from the ruins of Anvard had blisters forming on them now. But she looked up at Aslan who's mane was shinning in the last rays of sunlight and the pain suddenly didn't bother her anymore. Rather than cringe, she wanted to smile.

Back at the castle, things were going very unpleasantly to say the least. All day Caspian had noticed Susan seemed distant and pressed hard to see if she was perhaps angry with him for something.

"Caspian!" Susan snapped after the fifth time in a row he'd asked her what was wrong. "How many times must I tell you that I'm not mad at you?"

Caspian thought she looked like she was going to cry. "Did you have a bad day?" He'd been studying with his professor all day so he didn't know.

"No, it was fine." Susan insisted.

Peter came down the hallway walking slowly, not paying much attention to where he was headed. He cringed when he saw that he was headed straight for Caspian and Susan. Great. They were the last people he wanted to see at the moment.

"Peter." Susan said coldly, not because she was angry with him but because she didn't know how else to act towards him now and he hadn't exactly been Mr. Sunshine when he'd seen her at Lunch that day.

"Susan." He answered back in the same tone she used on him.

He fought the urge to fall at her feet and cry, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make things weird between us! Please don't hate me! I don't want to fight with you! I love you, darn it!", By biting his lower lip and walking off into another part of the castle.

"What was that about?" Caspian asked her.

"Nothing." Susan huffed, walking down the corridor towards her bed chamber, "Look, I'm really tired, see you tomorrow."

Caspian was at his wits end of what to do when he say Edmund coming his way. Finally, someone relatively normal and not moody! Or so he thought. "Edmund, do you know what's wrong with your brother and sister today? They seem a little...upset?"

"I know nothing!" Edmund huffed, he was at his own wits end. He was sick of playing the peace maker. All day long he'd tried to explain away awkward glances between Peter and Susan and explain away why Lucy wasn't back from her visit with the Narnians yet. He couldn't take it anymore. If he had to tell one more lie or cover up he was going to flip out. "Why can't you all just leave me out of this? By the Lion!" He stomped his foot and stormed to his bed chamber. Afterwards he thought of going back to Caspian and making up an excuse for why he'd been so rude to him but was too tired by that point to act on the thought.

Caspian stood there blinking wondering if he'd done something wrong or if this was a weird dream he was about to wake up from.

"Susan?" A voice called into the chamber. It wasn't a boy's voice so it wasn't Caspian or Peter or even Edmund. For a moment, Susan thought it was Lucy but that wasn't quite right. Lucy had a more naturally sing-songy voice than whomever had just spoken did.

Susan looked up. It was Queen Prunaprismia. "Oh, hello." She forced a smile and tried to make it look like she hadn't just been crying to herself a moment ago. Why didn't Peter like her anymore? Why did he have to hate her now? Couldn't things just go back to the way they were before this whole 'feelings' nonsense got started?

"You've been crying." Prunaprismia noticed.

Susan didn't bother to deny it. "Yes. I have."

"Why?" She looked concerned. "did you have a fight with Caspian?"

Susan didn't answer.

"You know what I do whenever I have a fight with Miraz?" Prunaprismia sounded like she was about to start a long speech about herself and her husband and Susan wasn't in the mood for that.

"We didn't fight." Susan told her. "Caspian and me, I mean."

"Then why are you so upset?" Prunaprismia asked kindly. "Was someone mean about you being a Narnian again?"

Sometimes a random solider or two could be counted on to sneer a Narnian slur at her rudely as she passed. This had been more upsetting to Lucy than to her but it still hurt none the less.

"No, everyone's been kind lately." Susan said.

"Then what's gotten you so upset?" Prunaprismia asked again.

"It's just..." Susan was prepared to make up a reason for her tears but then changed her mind. Why not just tell her the truth? That she was in love with both Caspian and someone else? As long as she left Peter's name out of it, nothing bad could happen. After all, Prunaprismia wouldn't tell Caspian and it would be such a relief to get it off her chest.

Queen Prunaprismia listened as Susan wept and told her that she'd fallen in love with one of the Knights in the Telmarine army (That's what Peter was now) but still loved Caspian at the same time.

"But what of the treaty?" The queen asked when she was finished.

"I'm not going to go against it." Susan assured her. "I'm still marrying Caspian just as I promised. But oh, I feel so horrid."

Prunaprismia put her hand on Susan's shoulder sympathetically. "You poor dear."

"You wont tell anyone..." Now that it was off her chest a little, Susan felt guilty. What if this somehow got out? Yes, Prunaprismia was her friend but maybe she should have thought twice before telling her all this. She was still a Telmarine after all.

"I wont tell anyone, no need to worry. Temarine ladies have this sort of gossip daily." She said reassuringly.

The queen wasn't all wicked and had more heart than her husband did but she could be foolish at times. And she foolishly mentioned to Miraz that night part of her conversation with Susan.

"She's gone and fallen in love with a Telmarine knight has she?" Miraz looked like he was in deep thought though Prunaprismia couldn't guess what about.

"Yes." The queen shrugged. "Don't fret dear husband, she's going to marry Caspian anyway, no worries there."

"Did you get the knight's name?" He asked his wife.

"No." Laughed Prunaprismia. "Why would I ask for it?"

"Well," Miraz said thoughtfully. "This could have been just what I needed."

"Needed?" The queen chimed in. "Dear, what are you talking about?"

"Ever since that treaty, people think I've become soft you see." Miraz explained looking very angry.

"No they don't." His queen cut in trying to humor him.

"They do." Miraz growled. "That's why what we need is something to show that we still have both feet firmly in the law of the Telmarines."

Prunaprismia yawned. "That's nice dear, you do that then." Matters of state were boring but they were good for putting one to sleep on a sleepless night, an upside to being married to a king.

"What we need is a good hanging." Miraz said darkly. "Hang some law breaking fool and show our power."

Prunaprismia frowned at him. "Who, pray tell, are you going to hang, Miraz?" She crossed her arms. "There hasn't been any law breaking going on lately."

"It's against the law for a knight to have a romantic relationship with the maiden betrothed to the future king is it not?" Miraz smirked proudly.

Prunaprismia gulped. She hated hangings. She wished she'd never brought this up. "I don't know if it's really a relationship per say...she's just in love with him. I don't think there's been any action on it."

"That does pose a problem." Miraz admitted, stroking his beard, thinking hard. "What we need is to first find out who this Knight is, catch him with her, then hang him. That will show everyone that the laws are still strong."

"How awful." Muttered Prunaprismia wondering how she could sleep after hearing something like that from her own husband. "Why do we always talk of these things right before bed?"

"I don't know." Miraz sighed. "We just do."


	11. Beautiful Secrets

Lucy woke up to the rather velvet-like feel of a horse's nose nudging her. Caspian's horse was hungry and tried of being ignored.

Sitting up, Lucy looked around for Aslan. He wasn't there. A terrible thought crossed her mind. Maybe she'd only dreamed about him again. Maybe yesterday hadn't really happened at all. She got up and looked in the saddle bag.

Pattertwig was asleep in there next to Edmund's electric torch. Also, right where she left it, was the dress she'd taken in and the veil she'd made. Phew! None of it had been a dream. So where was Aslan now?

Out on a rock over-looking the sea, Aslan was cleaning his great paws. He looked so peaceful and happy that Lucy didn't want to bother him. Yet how else was she to ask him what to do with her dress and veil? Or what the cloak and the key was for?

"Aslan?" She called out, only half-heartedly. She still didn't want to disturb him.

"Ah, so you're awake now." The great Lion shifted like a cat rolling out of the sun and into the shade before getting off the rock and coming over to her.

"Are we going to save Narnia today?" Lucy asked him.

"Nay, dear one, today I must explain to you what the cloak and key are for. Worry not. If you keep at being brave and don't despair, Narnia shall be saved in the end." Aslan smiled at her and she felt better. "First though, feed the poor horse, he's hungry, and I dare say Pattertwig would like something to eat as well, no?"

Feeling guilty that she hadn't already done so, Lucy went into the saddle bag and got out some food for Pattertwig and Destier. She felt her own stomach rumble, realizing that she had forgotten to eat anything at all yesterday. Now she understood that Aslan was not looking out only for the horse and the squirrel but for her as well.

After a reasonably good meal, Aslan explained the cloak and the key. "The cloak is enchanted." He told her. "with it, whomever wears it around their shoulders can alter their appearance however they wish."

Lucy caught sight of her own reflection in the water. Unlike Susan she was no beauty. She was pretty in a sweet simple way certainly not ugly but it still bothered her sometimes, maybe a little. There were a few things she'd like to 'alter' herself. She would never admit that in front of Aslan though. And she felt terribly guilty for secretly wanting to use it to benefit herself rather than for Narnia's salvation.

Aslan must have known what she was thinking but was kind enough not to say anything regarding her suddenly burst of vanity. He only added, "You wont need it for yourself though, you'll have the veil to hide your own face from the Telmarines."

"Why do I have to hide my face?" Lucy asked.

"I think you'll understand soon enough, now about the key," Aslan told her. "it's rusty looking but more useful than all the bright glittering keys Miraz owns. That key unlocks a secret passage in the ruins of Anvard. In it are untouched treasures. It's fairly teaming with gold and jewels and such. There is also a wooden wagon that has not rotted. Take the wagon and fill it with as much treasure as you can. It will be of great help to you. Cover up the wagon with a long piece of burlap you will find there."

"How do I get the wagon back to Narnia with me?" Lucy asked.

Aslan told her to tie the wagon to Caspian's horse. "You needn't worry. He's a good strong horse and can manage."

Lucy promised Aslan she would do just that but then added, "Aslan, when I get to Narnia, what do I do will all the treasures?"

"Ah, now what you must do is this." Aslan said. "You will go back on your own. I will go to the Narnians and soften their repelling hearts."

"Oh, I don't blame them." Lucy blurted out angrily. "If Peter hadn't gone and..."

Aslan raised and eyebrow and made the faintest suggestion of a growl.

Lucy hung her head. "Oh, I'm sorry, Aslan. I didn't mean to start on about that I just..."

"Well then you are forgiven but do not forget to do five things or else you will not be able to save your brother." Aslan cautioned her.

Lucy listened closely.

"First, hide the wagon with treasure in the woods do not bring it anywhere near Miraz's castle. Second keep your golden dress and veil handy but out of sight. Third, see to it that the only person who learns of your return is Edmund. Fourth make him promise to tell no one that you've come back. Fifth, once you have his word, come back to the How built around the stone table, I will be waiting for you there and will tell you what you must do then."

"Yes, Aslan, I see." Lucy said. "I'll do just that."

At Miraz's castle, Edmund tried to will himself not to bite his fingernails.

"It's a stupid habit." He told himself. "And girly too..." It was not working, those nails where going to be a mess of crust-over blood if the suspense got any closer to killing him.

He couldn't find Peter or Susan anywhere and he'd already bumped into Caspian twice. Who of course had been looking for Susan.

"I don't know where she is." Edmund had told him truthfully.

"Alright, if you see her tell her I'm looking for her okay?" Caspian had said in such a pathetic voice that Edmund couldn't help feeling sorry for him. Especially when he thought about the very likely fact that Susan wasn't alone where ever she was.

"I'll do that." Edmund said weakly trying very hard not to stuff the tips of his fingers into his mouth again. _Dear Aslan, they're turning me into such a wimp!_

Two hours later, they still weren't back. Edmund looked down at his fingers. Well, he thought, at least I don't have to worry about biting off the nails anymore seeing as I hardly have any now.

Leaving Aslan again was one of the hardest parts of the quest. Lucy told herself that she'd see him again very soon when she met him at the How as promised. She told herself over and over again, _He's not a tame Lion._ Still, she had to blink back tears as she gave the great Lion one last tight hug, breathing in the rich deep smell of his mane.

After she'd torn herself away from Aslan, Lucy got on the horse's back and rode as fast as she could back to Anvard. Something told her she had to go quickly. She could only hope she reached the ruins soon.

She'd planned to go straight there without stopping but knew the poor horse was growing tired and seeing as he would have to haul all that treasure she'd have to collect all the way to the Narnian woods, she should give him a break. She could also stop and have a little bit to eat. When she finally reached Anvard, the sun was starting to set. The day was coming to it's end.

The sun was setting in Narnia was well as in Archenland and Miraz and Prunaprismia were watching it from their balcony.

Of course Miraz wasn't the sort who liked the natural beauty that was the setting sun, rather he liked to watch the last light slip the kingdom of Narnia. His realm which he ruled with a strong firm hand. If only his subjects didn't think him so weak ever since his treaty with the Narnians. Oh why couldn't that stupid nephew of his just found a more compatible sort of group to make an alliance with?

"That's a brilliant pink." Prunaprismia sighed dreamily, thinking that it was the very colour she'd want in a new gown if she was a bit younger.

Miraz didn't care about the pink. "Prunaprismia, did you see Susan today?"

"No." She told him. "She wasn't with the other ladies of the court."

"She might be with that knight of hers, whomever he is." Miraz said with a greedy look coming into his eyes.

"Not that again." Prunaprismia rolled her eyes. "No one thinks you are weak, Miraz my love. You need not bother about finding some random knight and hanging him."

"It would do my image worlds of good." Miraz insisted stubbornly. "If only we could get a name for this fellow."

"She might just be with Caspian, I haven't seen him today either." Prunaprismia told her husband.

Miraz laughed at that. "I have." He said merrily. "I heard him asking one of the servants if he knew where Susan was."

Prunaprismia gulped. She didn't like how happy her husband got over this. She wasn't a wonderful lady of good morals herself, but cold blooded murder-even on matters of state-made her feel uneasy. Perhaps it was because deep down she thought maybe losing her only baby boy was a punishment for all the men she had shrugged and not thought twice about as her husband had them killed. Worse, was knowing that her husband had tried to kill his nephew and had successfully killed his own brother. She hadn't known about that though up until the raid. She wasn't sure she liked the idea of him killing yet another man for his own gain. There had to be a point when you asked what a life was worth. To Miraz, it seemed that most lives were worth nothing at all.

Edmund tapped his fingers against the desk in his chamber. They still weren't back. The sun had set, night was starting. They'd been gone all day, goodness knows where, and they still weren't back.

He stood up and went to Peter's chamber. He wanted to have a word with him as soon as he got back. He took a seat on Peter's bed and waiting as more hours ticked by in mind numbingly slow minutes.

Lucy spread out a blanket near the ruins of Anvard and laid down on it staring up at the stars. She wanted to fall asleep and was trying very hard to not try to fall sleep knowing it would only make her goal harder to reach. Tomorrow she had to go into the chamber and load up on gold and stuff. She wondered how long it would take to get it all to Narnia. She wondered if she could get there in a day or less. Then there was the thought that she would see Edmund again when she reached Narnia. For some reason that thought made it impossible not to smile.

Twelve ding-dongs echoed through Miraz's castle. Midnight. It was Midnight. It was midnight and Peter still hadn't come back. Unable to sit still, Edmund decided to check Susan's chamber to see if she'd returned from where ever she'd been all day.

When did this hallway get so dang long? Edmund wondered as he walked down it, feeling as though he was in one of those dreams when you walk towards something but never actually reach it. He could hear the click-clack of his boots against the floor. When had they gotten so loud? What if someone saw him and asked why he was wandering around at midnight? But then he'd have to ask the same question to whomever he happened to meet. No one had any business being in this part of the castle at such an ungodly hour.

Finally he reached the door leading into Susan's bed chamber. He tried to decide if he should slip in like before or use the knocker and rattle her up a bit as punishment for making him worry all day. But then anyone might hear the knocker and come out of their own chambers, bombarding him with questions. No, he'd just open the door a crack and slip right on in.

Edmund's hand went to the knob turning it slowly so as not to make the slightest sound. Peering in, he could see a well lit fire and someone sitting in front of it. So Susan had come back. He leaned in-taking a small step into the room-to get a better look. Now he saw that it wasn't just Susan sitting by the fireplace. Peter was there too. The reason it had looked like only one person at first was because they weren't sitting separately side by side. She was actually sitting pretty much directly in his lap with her head leaned back on one of his shoulders.

Edmund willed himself not to mutter, "Ew!" because it would be such a childish way to react. But it was the first thought that came to mind. The second was, "I'm going to kill them." The third was, "I really have to pee." (It was random but he had been so nervous that he'd forgotten about using his chamber pot since early that morning).

Peter let out a sigh that was somewhere between sad and content and wrapped his arms around Susan.

Edmund wasn't sure exactly what he should do now. Should he burst in and yell at them? Walk away? Knock over something making a bang to get their attention? Say 'Ahem' over and over until they noticed him standing in the doorway? Go to the back garden find an acorn then throw it at them? Why did he always get stuck in the middle of these things?

Finally Edmund decided to leave them alone for now. (He'd yell at Peter for this in the morning). He closed the door behind him softy, still unnoticed. Turning around he found himself face to face with someone.

It was Caspian. "Edmund?"

"Um, no?" Edmund came up with feeling very stupid as soon as words came out of his mouth. "I mean, uh...yes, I'm Edmund."

"What are you doing here?" Caspian asked him.

"Visiting my sister." Edmund's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to talk to Susan, I didn't get a chance to talk to her at all today." Caspian explained, his hand reaching for the door knob.

Edmund quickly reached out and slapped his hand.

"Ow." Caspian muttered. "What was that for?"

Good question. "Um...because uh...you can't go in there." Not a good answer.

"Why not?" Caspian protested, looking rather upset.

"Because..." Edmund's mind sudden asked itself WWPD? (What Would Peter Do?). If it were Lucy he'd probably play the over protective brother role. Bingo! "You're not even married yet and you want to into her room at night?" he made his eyes widen as if in great shock. "Shame on you."

"I'm not going to do anything, I just wanted to talk to her." Caspian said wondering if he should take offence to the implications that Edmund was making.

"A likely story." Edmund said, folding his arms across his chest. "You can talk to her in the morning."

"What was that?" Caspian didn't understand why Edmund was acting so much like his brother. He felt like he was in the middle of a conversation with the over-protective High King. Maybe they'd switched brains or something...hey, it could happen.

Part of Edmund was tempted to just let Caspian open that door and see Susan and Peter together but his loyalty to his family and kind nature wouldn't let him do so.

"Can't I just talk to her for a quick second?" Caspian tried his hand heading for the knob again.

"Tomorrow." Edmund insisted, blocking the door the best he could.

Caspian let out an annoyed huff, going back to his chambers. Edmund knew perfectly well that he wasn't going to do anything to his sister so why wouldn't he let him in that room? and what was with him earlier that day? Something fishy was going on here.

The morning sun rose early over Anvard and Lucy got straight to work. First she had a quick breakfast with Patterwig then she found a ruined well that still had water in it and cleaned her face and had a cool drink. After that she found the treasure door, unlocked it, found the wagon and started loading. She was so focused on the her work that she just barely noticed the beauty of all the gold and jewels she was handling. Rubies redder than blood drops, glittering bridal-white diamonds the size of big spiders, gold so pure it matched the color of the sun in the sky above her. She wondered what she'd need all this for but trusted that Aslan would explain soon enough.

Patterwig had found a golden bottle of rum and decided to have, 'just a taste' and that 'taste' ended in him rolling around in the piles of gold at the bottom of the chamber in a fit of laughter.

Just when Lucy had finished loading all the treasure and covered it up with the burlap, she heard a slight ping. A gold-framed mirror had fallen out of its place.

Causally, Lucy picked up the mirror and glanced into it. As usual, part of her felt secretly disappointed. Her face wasn't ugly in the least. It was nice to look at the way a baby-cherub statue is more pleasant to the eyes than a gargoyle is. It made people want to look at her again. But it wasn't the sort of face that made people gush, "Oh Helen, you're daughter is so stunning!" like Susan's did.

Deep down, Lucy ached to be pretty. She wasn't sure why. She knew being pretty had it's downside. She wasn't stupid. She'd seen the drooling stupid boys that followed her sister around England. She'd seen Susan's face when one of their mother's friends tried to set her up with a relative be it a son or nephew. Yet, being pretty also meant that you didn't have to try to get what you wanted. You were simply indulged because people liked to look at you. It meant if you ever did meet a boy you liked, you didn't have to worry about making him notice you. He just did. Simple as that. Not that Lucy liked anyone in particular, but still.

Glancing at the cloak sticking out of the saddle bag, Lucy felt a sudden rush of temptation that she could not ignore. She looked both ways, grabbed the cloak, and threw it around her shoulders. It felt warm and slid on like a glove.

I wonder, thought Lucy, how it works. Do you simply think about how you want to look to make the transformation take place? Or do you have to say some special words?

The cloak worked by thought. Lucy was thinking that she wanted to look just like herself but prettier. She wanted to see what she would look like if she was beautiful. Very beautiful. Maybe even beautiful beyond the lot of mortals.

Lucy reached out a hand to lift the gold mirror to her face. She noticed her hand looked almost exactly the same but without the cuts and uneven nails.

Peering into the mirror, Lucy let out a small gasp. It had worked. The cloak had made her beautiful. Even more beautiful than Susan was. No one would care anything for Susan after seeing the beautiful version of Lucy. For a moment, She was glad. Then, she felt stupid and vain. She hurled the mirror across the ruin and ripped off the cloak (Causing her appearance to change back to normal), tossing it back into the saddle bags. She wasn't so sure she wanted to be beautiful after all.

"What have I been doing?" Lucy scolded herself. "Wasting good time, that's what."

And with that, she went down the treasure chamber, scooped up Patterwig, and got ready to leave.


	12. The Tournament

"Peter Pevensie, you stop right there!" Peter had been walking back to his chamber at about five in the morning when he heard the sharp hiss-whisper command coming from behind him. He knew at once that it was Edmund. There was no other male in Narnia who called him 'Peter Pevensie' and not 'Sir Peter'. Most of them didn't even know his last name. Edmund sounded peeved.

"Hey, Ed." Peter knew he sounded guilty but there was nothing he could do about that.

"Don't you 'hey, Ed' me." Edmund glared at him.

"Edmund, look I..." Peter tried.

"None of your excuses." Edmund snapped, struggling to keep his voice low so no one would over hear them. "I know where you were last night."

Peter shook his head and attempted to walk away. "You don't need to spy on me, I can take care of myself. I had it sorted."

"I could see that." Edmund said dryly.

"Look, I really don't want to talk about this now." Peter put his hand to his head. "I've got a terrible headache, a meeting with the rest of the Telmarine army in less than an hour, and then there's the annual tournament this afternoon. Can we please talk about this later?"

"Well then shouldn't you have been preparing for all this yesterday?" Edmund said pointedly. "Where were you anyway?"

"None of your business." Peter snapped.

"Pete..." Edmund gave his brother a disappointed but understanding glance. "She's betrothed."

"I know..." Peter said sadly. "I didn't do anything wrong yesterday, I swear. We just had to talk about some things and we lost track of time."

"Why did you stay with her all night?" Edmund asked point blank.

Peter shrugged. "I don't know, I just did."

Edmund clucked his tongue in disapproval.

"We were careful, no one found out." Peter protested.

Edmund stuck out his hand as if he was expecting someone to shake it. "Hi, I'm no one, nice to meet you."

"Funny." Peter rolled his eyes. "And it's not like it's all my fault."

"Oh I don't think Susan's blameless." Edmund assured him. "She should have known better then to sneak off some place with you, Caspian was looking for her all day."

"I wasn't talking about Susan." Peter said suddenly turning on him. "You're the one who said I should stop scowling at the windows and just tell her."

Edmund looked furious. How dare he say that! "By what stretch of the imagination does, 'you can't spend the rest of you're life like this' turn into, 'I think you should start a secret relationship with my sister behind Caspian's back'?"

"There's no secret relationship." Peter said feeling very much like he was telling a lie and a rather stupid one at that.

"You forget that I saw you last night." Edmund reminded him.

"Ed, you aren't going to tell Caspian are you?" Peter looked really worried.

"No." Edmund said. "I want to be left out of it, this has nothing to do with me." He paused for a moment and let out a frustrated sigh. "And besides, I sent Caspian away before he could walk in and see you two."

Peter's eyes darkened and he looked a bit angry. "What was Caspian doing at her chamber door?"

"He wanted to talk to her, he hadn't seen her all day." Edmund explained. "He was worried about her."

Peter frowned. "He still shouldn't have been there."

"Just like you shouldn't have been there?" Edmund said, sticking up for Caspian because he felt bad about the fact that he was left completely in the dark about what was going on.

"Point taken." Peter gave in. "But honestly, Ed! Who's side are you on?" with that he left the corridor and went to get ready for the long day ahead.

As he stood by himself in the now empty corridor, Edmund thought about Peter's question. Whose side was he on? He wasn't even sure. It was getting too confusing. He didn't want Peter to be unhappy, after all they'd been raised as brothers and he didn't like seeing his brother walking around with a dazed hurt expression on his face. He wanted Susan to be happy but he wasn't sure what would and wouldn't make her happy at this point. Did she want to be with Peter? Or was she still attached to Caspian? And he also felt sorry for Caspian who he knew had grown to love Susan very much. He wondered what side Lucy would have taken. He couldn't guess. He hoped she came back soon.

At lunch that day, Edmund thought the tension in the room was going to grow hands and choke everyone. No one could have a comfortable conversation.

Miraz kept whispering things to his wife who didn't seem the least bit pleased by whatever he was saying.

Caspian was quiet too, probably expecting Edmund to flip out on him if he said anything. He wanted to ask him where Susan was (She hadn't come down to lunch yet) but for some reason that question always got Edmund upset.

Edmund looked over to the two vacant seats. The one next to Caspian where Susan should have been and the one beside Lucy's old spot where Peter should have been. The two clean plates without a scrap of food on them were reminders that they were nearly ten minutes late.

I swear, if they've gone and stuck off somewhere again, they're going to regret the day they were born. Edmund thought bitterly.

"Sorry I'm late." Susan arrived looking rather breathless as she sat down. "I lost track of the hour."

"Where's Peter?" Edmund asked her.

"The meeting with the army must be running late." Susan said. She looked her brother straight in the eye hoping to let him know that she wasn't lying. Peter hadn't been with her. The last time she'd seen him was when he was on his way to meet with the army. He'd briefly mentioned that Edmund had seen them in her room last night and then had gone on his way.

"Maybe their getting ready for the tournament." Prunprismia suggested. "It is this afternoon, you know."

"Are you going to compete?" Susan asked Caspian.

"Not this year, uncle wont let me." Caspian glared at Miraz and then went back to eating.

"Why not?" Edmund asked suspiciously.

"Because," Miraz explained. "This is a chance to see who the strongest men in the army are. Think of it as an experiment. We don't need them fighting against the crowned prince. What good would that do me?"

"But it will be such fun to watch." Prunaprismia said cheerfully, turning to Susan. "Have you ever seen a Telmarine torment before?"

"No." Susan admitted.

"It's nice." Prunaprismia told her. "You get to sit under a nice canopy outside in the fresh air all day."

"And we'll finally get to spend some time together." Caspian added. "It feels like it's been a while."

"It hasn't been that long." Susan retorted, wishing she hadn't said that when she saw the look on Caspian's face. He looked hurt.

"Oh." He shrugged and tried to act like he wasn't upset.

"The meeting with the army ran late." Peter entered the room and took his seat. "They were all talking about the best armor to be used in the tournament."

Susan knew Peter had to compete in the tournament because Miraz had ordered all the knights and solders to do so. Yet, she knew it must be hard for him. This was the first time being a Telmarine Knight would mean more than just a title. She looked up at him and he smiled at her a little. The fact that she was pleased by that smile made her felt extremely guilty. After all Caspian was sitting right next to her.

"So Susan, where were you yesterday?" Caspian asked.

"Around." Susan came up with.

"Around where?" He persisted.

"I'm not very hungry, I'm going back to my chamber." Susan said, getting up. "I'll see you all at the torment."

"Alright then." Caspian nodded at her as she left.

Edmund looked at Peter and raised an eyebrow.

Peter groaned and looked back at his plate, suddenly very intent on cutting a large piece of meat that he'd had not been interested in two seconds ago.

Back at Aslan's how, Trumpkin was struggling to keep the Narnians at bay. They still wanted to attack Miraz's castle.

"But what of Queen Lucy's promise?" he protested.

"What does that matter?" A sour black dwarf who happened to be a cousin of Nikabrik said. His name was Jikamic. "Even if she hasn't betrayed us to the Telmarines, the others have and she's probably been eaten by wild animals or worse. She's not coming back. We must fight."

"Dare to speak of it again and it is me you will fight!" Reepicheep pulled out his sword and pointed it at Jikamic.

"Fool, are you going to let them keep us in exile for ever?" a faun protested.

"But they've been true to their word." A bear stood up for the kings and queens. "We've been here and no Telmarine has tried to hurt us. We can trust them."

"No we can't!" Jikamic shrieked.

"Yes you can." A deep rich voice that made everyone in the room jump came from the entrance way of the How.

A large golden Lion stood there looking at them with his great solemn eyes.

"Aslan." Reepicheep made a proper bow. "Welcome."

"Thank you, good mouse." Aslan said kindly. "and thank you Trumpkin for your help. Narnia shall be saved. Queen Lucy came to me and as I promised her, I have come to you."

"See?" one faun said to his friend. "I told you we could trust the kings and queens."

"No you didn't." his friend frowned at him. "I told _you_."

"Did not."

"Did too!"

"It doesn't matter which one of you did or didn't." Aslan told them. "The matter is this now. The High king of old Narnia may be in danger soon."

"If I would be of any help, great one, I would gladly go in arms with to rescue King Peter." Reepicheep said bravely.

"I am sure you would." Aslan's cat lips turned up in a smile. "But it is the littlest Queen that shall do the rescuing when the time comes."

"Where is Queen Lucy?" Trumpkin asked.

"She is on her way." Aslan said.

The trumpets announcing the start of the tournament where blown into and the courtiers took their seats under their dark shady canopies on the sidelines.

Edmund had his seat next to Susan and Caspian. (He wasn't a Knight in the army at this time and thus wasn't competing even though he could have if he'd really wanted to). He noticed Susan and Caspian where holding hands. He also knew that Peter wasn't oblivious to that. Hoe kept looking up at them from his horse and then quickly looking away.

Miraz was picking his nose while his watched some for the knights preparing to start. "Slumping like that on your horse is a bad habit." he commented.

"I know a worse one." Edmund said dryly.

Caspian let out a light chuckle.

Two Knights charged at each other. Both fell off their horses upon impact.

"Losers." Muttered Miraz.

The next two Knights where even worse. They not only fell but got their feet stuck in the stirrups of their saddles when they did so.

"Next!" Hollered Miraz cupping his hands around his mouth.

Next was Peter and some other Knight. Peter stayed on his horse, the other Knight fell.

"Well done, Pete." Edmund clapped.

Susan would have clapped too but she was still holding Caspian's hand. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a very pretty Telmarine Countess smiling and clapping with a little too much enthusiasm.

She glared at the Countess and then looked back at the arena where Peter had just knocked down another knight.

"Wow." Edmund commented. "He's on a roll."

"He fought against men more skilled than these are." Susan reminded her brother. "Remember the tournaments back at Cair Paravel? He rarely lost."

"It doesn't look like he's going to lose now either." Caspian told her pointing to Peter as yet another rider fell and he remained seated.

The next Knight was a rather big fellow. His armor had all been expanded and looked like it was made of sharp tin cans. His horse was rather large too.

"Is he sure that's not a dinosaur?" Caspian asked noticing that the horse looked as if he could've eaten Destier in one gulp and then wash him down with all the water in the nearby lake.

"Is that a man or a sasquatch?" Edmund said as the Knight came even more into view.

"He certainly has the feet of sasquatch." Susan said. "They're almost as big as dino-horse's hooves. They can't really expect Peter to fight him."

"It does come across as an unfair match." Edmund agreed.

"He has to fight him." Caspian shrugged. "The law of Telmarines wouldn't let him back out."

Susan looked like she might cry.

"Courage, Su." Edmund said kindly. "Remember that Peter fought real giants before, and won."

"Yes." Susan looked a little less upset now. "That's true."

The two knights charged. They made contact but neither of them fell. They charged again. Same. Again. Same again. Once more. This time the big knight swayed a little but managed to stay on his horse, which unfortunately was more than can be said for Peter. He felt hard. He wasn't too badly hurt. He did however land directly on his arm and he thought it might broken or dislocated. He walked out of the arena and into his one of the resting tents.

Most of the Telmarines cheered for the big knight but Susan noticed that a few said, "Boo!" Or "Bad Form!" or "Bully!" or "Unfair!" The pretty Countess was one of them. Susan knew it was stupid and shallow and without real reason, but she hated that Countess.

"Poor Peter." Edmund said watching as the big knight knocked down another horseman.

"Do you think he was hurt?" Susan wondered aloud.

"I don't think he was hurt too badly." Edmund tried to comfort her. "He got right back up."

"I'm going to go check on him." Susan said, letting go of Caspian's hand and leaving the shade of the canopy.

"Where's she going?" Prunaprismia said, watching her leave.

Miraz smirked. "Maybe to her Knight." He whispered. "We might finally get the proof we need." He stood up and signaled for some of his favorite guards to follow. He looked back at Caspian for a moment. Why not let his Nephew see this too? He was so convinced that his future bride was devoted to him that it would be interesting to see what he thought when he found out the truth. "Come Caspian, there's something we have to do."

"The tournament is not over." Caspian protested.

"This is more important than that." Miraz told him. "We have a matter of state to deal with. Come on, let's go."

Edmund gulped. He wasn't sure why, but he had a bad feeling about this 'matter of state'.

The resting tents were full of bruised, banged up, sullen Knights sulking over their losses. Susan walked passed all of those tents, most of which had the flaps opened so they could look out and see, poor view though it was, the tournaments.

"Excuse me, do you know where Sir. Peter is?" Susan asked one of the friendlier looking knights.

"Yes, my lady, he's got a tent to himself over there." He pointed to Peter's tent.

"Thank you." Susan said before heading that way.

'"Don't mention it." The knight shrugged.

The flaps on Peter's tent where turned down. Clearly he had no interest in seeing the rest of the Knights fight.

"Peter?" Susan called in, lifting up one of the flaps and entering.

"Susan, what are you-ow-doing-ow-here." He was trying to get the armor off his hurt arm and it was killing him. "Ouch."

Susan pulled down the tent flap behind her and came closer. "Here, let me help you with that."

Peter shifted away from her. "No, it's alright, I can handle it." He tried to pull it off again and felt as though his arm was under attack by fire ants. Okay, he couldn't do it. "No I can't."

Susan smiled and gently lifted his arm up a bit so she could pull the stubborn piece of armor off. "There."

"Thanks." He said gratefully.

"You're welcome."

They stood there staring at each other for a moment before Peter finally said, "You should go."

"Can't I stay here with you?" Susan asked.

More than anything, Peter wanted to say yes. He wanted her there with him but he knew better. She was supposed to be with Caspian. End of story. "Caspian's probably waiting for you."

"I know." Susan sighed.

"You're happy with him." Peter reminded her.

"Yes, I am." Susan nodded.

"Then why are you here?" He asked gently.

Susan started to cry. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

He hated it when she cried. "Shh. It's alright." he said, reaching out and wiping her tears away with the side of his hand.

She leaned closer to him and kissed him. He knew he shouldn't but he kissed her back.

The tent flap was ripped back. There stood Caspian, Miraz, and Miraz's guards.

"I have to admit, I didn't exactly guess right." Miraz said when he noticed that the knight she was with was Peter.

Susan looked over to Caspian he looked like he'd been slapped across the face. "Susan, how could you?"

Around that time, in another part of Narnia, Lucy was getting closer to the woods. She would be there soon. She only hoped it would be soon enough. She wondered if Aslan had made it to the How yet. He probably had.

"What's that over there?" A slightly hung-over Pattertwig motioned to a group of trees in the distance.

"The woods!" Lucy cried happy. "We're almost there."


	13. Cells and fainting spells

"Well there's your proof." Miraz said. He waved his hand at the guards and then at Peter.

The guards blinked at him in confusion.

"What are you wanting for? Arrest him!" Miraz barked at the blank-eyed guards.

"Oh, right." One of them blurted out as though he couldn't believe he'd forgotten.

The other guard who didn't speak was quicker. He grabbed Peter's hands and pulled them behind his back.

"Ow!" Peter cried. They forgot that he had a hurt arm (or maybe they just didn't care).

"What are you doing?" Susan shouted at the guards. "Unhand him."

"He's under arrest for high treason." Miraz said smugly. "They aren't allowed to release him until I say so."

"Well then say so." Susan snapped.

Miraz ignored her. "Take him to the dungeons." He ordered.

"Let me go!" Peter protested as the guards dragged him out of the tent and off to the castle.

Caspian was still looking at Susan. She hadn't answered him yet. Not that he needed an answer. He had seen enough. He'd thought that she was happy to be getting married to him. But had she only been wanting someone else all this time? Had it all been a lie? If it wasn't for the treaty, would she have left him for Peter long ago? All of these thoughts rang through his mind as he stood there in front of the girl he'd thought loved him.

"Caspian...I..." Susan half expected him to shake his head at her and walk away in disgust and was sort of surprised to see that he did nothing of the sort. He just keep looking at her, listening to her pathetic pointless words of attempted explanation. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Then what did you mean?" Caspian asked her coldly. "you didn't think it would hurt me that you were with someone else behind my back?"

"I..." Susan wanted to talk to him, to fall down at his feet and plead for forgiveness. But she couldn't do that now. She couldn't concentrate on the words she needed to say. Not when Peter was getting hauled off to a dungeon.

"How long did you think you could keep it a secret?" Caspian asked in disbelief.

"It wasn't a secret." Susan said softly. "We didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"And then there's the fact that he's your brother." Caspian pointed out looking like he might vomit.

"There's something you should know." Susan told him. "He's not really my brother. And Lucy's not really my sister. Edmund's my only brother. Peter's family took us in off the street when we were very young."

"I don't believe this." Caspian groaned. "I thought you cared for me."

"I do." Susan said, knowing how lame that must sound, but it was still the truth.

"Then why..." Caspian's voice shook a little.

"Caspian, I'm sorry this happened. We can't just let them arrest Peter like this. Please do something?" Susan pleaded with him.

"And once more, he's more important to you than I am." Caspian gave her one last hard cold glance before storming out of the tent.

From his seat, Edmund watched in horror as Peter struggled to get out of the grip of several big guards dragging him off. He probably would have succeeded in getting away from them if it hadn't been for the hurt arm.

"What are you doing?" Edmund shouted at the guards, getting up and running towards them. "This is against the treaty. We're all supposed to be at peace. This is open treason!"

"This knight is the traitor not us." They told him. "He's broken the law of the Telmarines."

"This has to be a mistake." Edmund insisted as Peter finally gave up trying to break free. "What law would he possibly..." Suddenly it hit him. Susan had just gone to see him moments before he was arrested. He looked at Peter now "...you didn't!"

Peter's expression was helpless but not innocent. "I did. I'm sorry, Ed."

"Unbelievable." Edmund muttered before adding, "Alright how much to bail him out of this one?"

"No bailing." They told him. "Miraz will deal with him personally."

He didn't like the sound of that. "What does that mean?"

"It means they're taking me to the dungeon." Peter explained.

"Not if I can help it." Edmund reached for his sword.

Peter shook his head. "Don't."

"Pete..." Edmund tried. How could he give up so easily? Didn't he care what happened to him? Hadn't he been pushing and shoving a moment ago? Didn't he want to be freed?

"I'll be fine." He sighed hopelessly. "I promise. Fighting isn't worth it anymore."

Lucy reached the middle of the woods and started looking for a hiding place for the wagon. She decided on a cave she'd just barely noticed. It was well hidden by vines and trees.

She unhitched the wagon from Caspian's horse and started pushing it towards the cave. "Gosh this is heavy." She could feel the sweat trickling down from her forehead to her cheeks and falling in her eyes, making them sting.

"Can I help?" Pattertwig offered. "I could push too."

Lucy smiled at him. It was sweet of the little squirrel to offer but there was no way he'd get it to budge so much as a half inch. "No thank you, I'll manage."

Finally, with one last push, the wagon rolled into the cave. Lucy felt proud of herself for getting it there and hoped it was a good enough hiding place. If someone should happen to find and take the treasure. The plan (Whatever it was) might be ruined. At least she'd done the first part of what Aslan had told her to do. The second thing had been to keep the golden dress and veil handy but out of sight. Lucy stuffed them into a buddle on her belt right next the magical cordial. She felt sorry about crumpling up the fabric again but what else could she do?

Miraz's dungeons smelled of rotten meat, old blood, fresh pee, and _really_ bad B.O. strong enough to make a person faint. Peter felt a little woozy himself as he was yanked down the stone steps leading down there.

It was extremely dark at all times even on the brightest of days. The only lights bright enough to be useful came from the torches that the prison watchers carried with them. A steel-bar door was opened with a sharp squeaking sound like the sort you get when you drag your nails along a chalk board. Peter was shoved through that door so roughly that he fell onto the cell's concrete gound right on the hurt arm. He moaned and muttered. "Ow." but he didn't move. He stayed in the spot he landed, not even bothering to roll over. It hurt too much.

"Well that's where you'll be living until they take you to the gallows." The head prison watcher said in a gruff voice.

Now Peter rolled over in spite of the pain. The shock of those words made his arm feel almost numb anyway. No one had said anything about the gallows before. He had thought he was just going to be locked up. He could handle that. He could live on bread and water, breathing in the nasty sweat-filled air for however long they wanted him to. But even then, he wasn't so miserable that he wanted to be hung by his neck until he died. He still wanted to live. More than ever before, he wished he'd listened to Lucy and told Caspian to refuse the treaty. Then maybe things would have been different.

The ear splitting sound of fancy silver-lined boots striking against the stone stairs echoed though the dungeon. Miraz was coming. The steps got nearer and nearer, stopping when they came to Peter's cell.

"This is even better that I planned." Miraz said in a rather content voice. "Not only are you a law breaker but you're a Narnian. Better still, you're the former Narnian high king. Hanging you will show that the Temarines still have the upper hand."

Peter didn't answer him. He wasn't sure what to say to that.

"Did you hear me, boy?" Miraz asked, perplexed by his silence.

"Yes." Peter said simply, refusing to look Miraz in the eye. Why give him the satisfaction?

"You know you brought this on yourself." Miraz told him, opening the cell and stepping in. "I didn't make you break the law. I'm not responsible for your upcoming death."

Peter eyed the door. It was still open behind Miraz. He jumped up and made a run for it the best he could, ignoring the sore feeling in his legs and the sharp pain that still shot through his arm whenever he moved it. He was almost out the door when a guard grabbed him and flung him back into his cell. Peter's back bumped against the hard stone wall and he slid down wondering if being hung could possibly hurt worse than getting hurled into stone wall with that much force.

Miraz glared at him. He picked up his sword and struck Peter across the face with the hilt. "That'll teach you to try anything like that again."

With that he left the cell slamming and locking the door. Peter had no chance of getting out of there now. "See you tomorrow morning." Miraz said harshly. "It'll be the last time."

With no one watching him and being in too much pain to care even if anyone did, Peter leaned his head on the wall and cried. If it was his last day of life, he should be allowed at least one last good cry.

Meanwhile, Susan was locked in her chambers by Prunaprismia and a few other well-meaning ladies of the court who thought she was a bit out of her mind. She'd actually tried to go into the dungeon and find her knight. Something unheard of amongst the ladies. Even the ones who understood her feelings (The ones who had seen knights they'd loved put behind bars) thought she was mad to consider trying to go down into the dungeon.

"Let me out!" Susan pounded her fists on the door. "come on, I thought we were friends!"

"We are your friends, dear." Prunaprismia called though the door. "That's why we're doing this."

"It's for you're own good." a voice Susan knew belonged to that Countess she hated said.

"Shut up and open the bloody door!" Susan kicked at the door knowing it wouldn't make so much as a dent but she was unwilling to stay still. She wished she could kick the Countess.

"It's best if you just forget about him." Prunaprismia told her. "Try to be happy without him."

Susan kicked the door again.

"Should we tell her?" She heard one of the ladies whisper to Prunaprismia.

"I'll tell her." She sighed. "Susan, there's something you should know."

"Open the door and tell me then." Susan tried.

"You wont see your knight again." Prunprismia sad rather sadly. "Miraz is going to hang him tomorrow."

Susan stopped kicking. There was no more sound. Then suddenly there was a thump on the floor.

"The poor thing, do you think she took it alright?" The countess asked.

Prunaprismia opened the door a crack, unsure if this was a trick. It was no trick. Susan had been so overwhelmed and frightened by the news about the gallows that she'd fainted and hit her head on the ground.

Suddenly, Edmund ran into the room. He saw his sister laying on the ground. "Susan?" He knelt down beside her and lifted her head into his lap. Glaring up at the Telmarine ladies, he barked at them to get some smelling salts and for the love of all that was holy to stop crowding around her like that. He gently slapped the side of her face. "Come on Su, wake up."

"Don't hit her." Prunaprismia protested stupidly.

"Shut up, I know what I'm doing." Edmund barked. He'd taken care of people wounded from battles, a simple fainting spell wasn't exactly a challenge for him.

Finally someone returned with smelling salts. Edmund furiously yanked them out of the hands of whomever had been holding them, without so much as a word of thanks.

"What happened?" Edmund demanded as he waved the salts under his sister's nose.

"We told her that Sir Peter is being taken to the gallows tomorrow and she didn't take it very well." One of the more flighty ladies blurted out.

"What?" Edmund shouted loud enough for the whole castle to hear. "Miraz can't do that!"

"He can and is." Prunprismia told him. "I'm sorry, I wish there was something that could be done but..."

"You don't care, don't act like you do!" Edmund snapped at her.

Susan started to wake up. "hmm..." She muttered, her eyes fluttering open. "Edmund?"

He looked down at his sister. "Thank goodness."

"They're going to..." Susan muttered weakly, still in shock. She looked like she was going to faint again.

"I know." Edmund whispered. "We'll think of something, we wont let them kill him."

Susan still wasn't quite herself yet. She seemed barely aware of where she was. "Is the war over? Can we go home yet?" She muttered randomly, her eyes starting to close again. "Where's mum?" Her eyes stayed at a half-open half-closed level now.

"Mum, is in England." Edmund told her, wondering why she was asking that.

"Where's Len and Omar?" Susan asked, not seeming to understand what he meant by 'England'.

"Who?" Edmund wrinkled his forehead. What was she talking about?

"Is Edmund with them?" She looked frightened. "He's not with me. Mum will be furious if we don't find him."

"Su, I'm right here." Edmund was really starting to worry about her now. "Come on." He lifted her onto her bed. "Try to get some rest."

"Alright." She yawned. "Tell Master Koreen, that Len is too sick to attend classes tomorrow, alright?"

"Um, Sure..." Edmund humored her. _Who the heck were Len and Master Koreen?_

Before she rode back to Miraz's castle, Lucy dropped Pattertwig off at the tree he called his home.

"Goodbye, Queen Lucy." Pattertwig said cheerfully. "It's been wonderful traveling with you."

"Same here." Lucy told him with a smile. "I'll miss you."

"Will we see each other again soon? Will we? Will we?" He bounced on a low branch as he spoke.

"I hope so." Said Lucy, giving Caspian's horse a gentle kick to let him know it was time to start moving again.

She noticed the sun setting ahead of her but did not despair she would reach the castle tonight. She would finish her quest. And she'd see Edmund again. All of these things were worth being happy about.


	14. Lucy's Return

Caspian stood at the door of Miraz's library in the south wing. The idea of talking with his uncle in general sickened him. He'd never liked Miraz much but he hadn't hated him. That is, he hadn't hated him before he found out that Miraz had killed his father. After that, there was little else Caspian hated more than Miraz. He could force himself to say a few words to him in counsels but he dreaded the idea of talking alone with the man who'd murdered his father. But it couldn't be helped now. He had to talk him out of giving Peter the death sentence.

He hadn't known right away that that was what was going to happen but he'd heard from one of Prunaprismia's handmaiden's gossip-loving daughters that they'd heard the ladies of the court talking about Miraz's plans to send Peter to the gallows in the morning.

Though he had never gotten along with Peter, or even understood him for that matter, and though he hated him for being with Susan, he couldn't just let them kill him if it could be helped.

So he knocked on the door. "Uncle Miraz?"

Miraz sighed, stood up and opened the door. "What do you want?"

"Can we talk?" Caspian asked him.

Miraz let him in the room. "What about?"

"You can't send Peter to the gallows." Caspian told him, looking around at the books Miraz had piled on his desk. None of them nice ones. They were all harsh, strict, even a tad bitter, law books with worn covers that had long threads dangling from the binding.

"Can't?" Miraz raised an eyebrow looking rather amused.

"He's the High King of old Narnia." Caspian protested. "Killing him goes against the treaty."

"Does it now?" Miraz gave him a cold, smug smile. "Didn't the treaty say that upon excepting, he would no longer be the king, but just a knight?"

"It did." Caspian admitted dejectedly.

"And the laws of the Telmarines clearly state that a knight having a relationship with the maiden betrothed to the crowned prince is a crime." Miraz reminded him.

"I know." Caspian sighed, he'd known the laws since he was a baby, but that didn't mean he agreed with them.

"Why do you want him released anyway?" Miraz asked. "He was with your future wife."

"I know, I'm not happy about it but I don't want him killed. As the future King, I want him pardoned." Caspian explained boldly.

"That's just it." Miraz laughed a little as he spoke. "You're the future king not the current one. You're powerless. I'm the king, I can hang whomever I please."

"You wont spare him?" Caspian asked, already knowing the answer.

"I didn't spare you're father, did I?" Miraz said meanly in a cold tone of voice.

Caspian glared at him, turned around, and stormed out of the library slamming the door behind him.

"Caspian, there you are!" He suddenly came face to face with Edmund.

"I tried, Edmund." Caspian blurted out. "Miraz refuses to release him."

"Of course he does." Edmund snapped. "Miraz is a tyrannical nightmare. We'll have to save him some other way."

"Do you have a plan?" Caspian wanted to know.

"Not yet." Edmund admitted. "Look, I'm worried about Susan."

In spite of his anger, Caspian still cared about her. "Is she alright?"

"I don't know." Edmund told him. "She fainted and she's been acting very strangely since she woke up."

"Can I see her?" Caspian asked.

Edmund nodded. "Come on." They went down the corridor leading to east wing.

When they reached the her chamber door, Caspian opened it and walked in. "Susan?"

Susan was sitting on her bed half under the covers with her hands on her lap, looking very confused. Her eyes were wide and her lips were pointed down in a deep pout. She stared hard at him. "Do I know you?"

"Susan, it's me, Caspian." He said taking a step towards her.

She blinked at him. "You do seem sort of familiar...are you a pirate from Telmar? Father told me that a lot of pirates have suddenly showed up there. Came right out of a cave or something. You look like a Telmarine."

He looked back at Edmund. "What's wrong with her?"

"I have no idea." Edmund shrugged his shoulders.

"What did you say you're name was again?" Susan smiled at him encouragingly.

"Caspian." He told her, moving his hands as he spoke. "You know me, we're betrothed..."

Susan burst into a fit of hysterical laughter. "That's the funniest thing I've ever..." She noticed Caspian's face fall and stopped laughing. "...oh wait, you were serious?" Her frown returned and deepened.

"Yes..." Caspian said, turning back to Edmund. "Did she hit her head?"

"She did, but I think it has more to do with shock." Edmund explained. "Susan was so shocked when she heard about Peter that something happened to her...I'm not sure what..."

"Where's Edmund?" Susan asked Caspian. "Have you seen him? He's my little brother. He's small and has dark hair."

"Su, I'm right here." Edmund walked up to the bed.

She stared at him for a moment. Looking into his eyes, she recognized him. "Oh, Ed! It is you!" she cried happily, reaching out her arms to hug him. "When did you get so big?"

"This is not good." Caspian groaned putting his hand to his forehead.

"Tell me about it." muttered Edmund.

Not knowing what to do, Caspian turned to leave.

"It was nice meeting you." Susan called after him.

Edmund let out another groan.

Later that night, Lucy arrived at the castle stable. She led Caspian's horse back into his stall even though she wasn't sure how long she was going to leave him there. After all, She was going right back to the how. She was just back looking for Edmund. She'd promised Aslan that she'd speak only with him and would let no one else learn of her return. It was the third task.

Slowly making her way through the castle, terrified of being spotted by a guard, her family, Caspian, or worse of all Miraz, Lucy almost reached Edmund's chamber door when she heard the sound of boots striking on the marble floor. She let out a small gasp and looked desperately for a place to hide. Her hand fell back against what she had thought was an ordinary wall, when it gave way, it slid open like a door. It was a secret passage way of some sort. The stairs led down, probably far away from where she wanted to be, but it would do for a hiding place. She dashed in there and quickly slid the wall back into place behind herself.

As soon as the wall was shut, the person reached the spot where Lucy had been standing mere moments before. It was Edmund (Though Lucy still had no way of knowing this because of the shut wall between them). He was returning from Susan's chamber trying to think of a way to get Peter out of the dungeon. He was so at a lost for ideas that he settled for the very worst idea of all. He planned to go down there and break Peter out himself, even if it meant breaking the stupid treaty and starting the war up again. Only one problem. He wasn't sure where the dungeons were. The Telmarines hadn't given him a proper tour of the castle. All he knew was that they must be downstairs somewhere. He'd have to search the whole castle. And if he didn't find Peter's cell before morning and they took him away to the gallows...Edmund shuddered, he didn't even want to think about that. He paused at wall near his door. For a moment he thought he heard heavy breathing behind it. Mice? It would have to be one large-butt mouse. He shrugged and walked off to start looking for those dungeons.

Lucy heard the foots steps go passed. Whomever it was, had gone. She tried to slide the wall back open but it didn't budge. Apparently it was the sort of secret wall that could be opened only from one side. And unfortunately, it wasn't the side she was on. Looking down at the dark stairs, Lucy took a step and nearly fell. It was too dark to risk going down there. But what other way could she go? Then she had an idea. Next to the gold dress and veil buddle, on the other side of her magic cordial, She had Edmund's electric torch tied to her belt. She hoped there was still enough battery and cursed herself for wasting so much of it before. With one click, it turned on, lighting the way down the dark, damp, seldom used stairs.

Suddenly a smell so potent that she thought it would choke her, reached her nostrils and made them burn. It was like rotten meat, old blood, fresh pee, and _extremely_ unpleasant body odor.

Where am I? Wondered Lucy as her foot lightly tapped against a concrete ground. She flashed the electric torch to the left and saw what looked like iron bars. Cages? But bigger, big enough to fit a person. Like a prison cell.

Lucy took a step closer. Someone was asleep, she could hear snoring. But it wasn't coming from the cells. It was the late night prison watchman, he had fallen asleep after drinking too much wine. He was a large, fat, ugly man. Lucy hated the very slight of him.

Most of the cells didn't have anyone in them. One of them housed a middle-aged fellow who was asleep with his mouth open making chewing sounds, but not snoring.

I'm in the dungeon, Lucy realized at last. I wonder is there only that one prisoner? She walked a little further down the dark pathway and flashed her Electric torch at one of the last cells in the room.

A blond-haired boy with a large black bruise on his cheek and one arm hanging down uselessly, looked up at her.

In the light from the torch, Lucy saw him. It was her own brother Peter. He looked horrible. What had happened? Was this the danger Aslan had been speaking of?

"Lucy?" Peter whispered weakly, unable to believe his eyes.

Suddenly she remembered that Aslan's orders. Peter wasn't supposed to know that she had come back. Oh dear, she'd messed up again. Aslan would be so disappointed in her. Much as it pained her, she willed herself not to speak to Peter, turned and raced towards the exit as quickly as she could.

Peter stared blankly as the spot where he could have sworn his baby sister had been standing less than a second ago. He decided that he must have dreamed it. A waking dream, a hallucination of some kind. This was common wasn't it? Being in places like this did those sort of things to people. Lucy wasn't back. Lucy was still missing. Lucy might even be dead. If only he'd listened to her when he'd had the chance. If only. His mind was reeling with if onlys about everything that had ever happened in his life. He started crying again.

He wasn't the only one crying. Lucy, who'd finally made it to a stair case leading out of the dungeon, turned off the torch, leaned back on the stairs, thrust her face into her hands and started crying too. She hated seeing her beloved brother like that. And she couldn't even speak to him. He looked hurt. He might even need a doctor. She opened her fingers a little and peered down at the magic cordial. It had a strange gleam about it in the dark. It wasn't too late to run back now and give him a drop. and maybe try to comfort him. But she couldn't do that, not without disobeying Aslan. And that was something she wasn't willing to do.

"Don't say a word, I've got a sword and four knives on me." someone grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth, putting a knife to her throat.

She let out a whimper. She considered whacking whomever it was (the voice did sound sort of familiar but she was too scared to ponder on it) with the torch. She'd heard that Edmund had used it as a weapon during that awful night raid. Maybe it could work for her too. But what about the sword and the knives? She might be killed.

Maybe she could turn the torch back on, shine it in the attackers eyes, and hopefully stun him long enough to make a get away. Her finger clicked it on.

"Hey that's mine!" The attacker suddenly gasped. "Where did you..." The light from the torch was shinning only on the side of Lucy's arm (She couldn't quite spin it around as quickly as she'd hoped too) but it showed the red fabric of her Narnian sleeve.

The attacker let go of her mouth and put the knife away. She took in a deep breath of air. It felt so good to breathe freely again that she actually forgot to run.

"Lucy?" The attacker gasped.

Lucy lifted the torch a little. "Edmund!" She cried happily.

He threw his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "What are you doing here?"

"I don't know, I got lost trying to find you." Lucy explained, in a breathless voice.

"I'm so glad you've come back." Edmund told her in a low voice. "Did you find Aslan?"

"Yes..." Lucy's eyes rolled towards the sleeping drunk watchman. What if he should wake up suddenly and find them there?

Edmund understood her worry. He'd get Peter out later. Or maybe Aslan could. For all he knew, Aslan could be right outside. Lucy said she found him.

"Come on," Edmund grabbed her wrist and pulled her up the stairs. "we can talk in your chamber so no one over hears."

Together they raced down corridor after corridor until they came to Lucy's chamber door. Edmund reached for the knob, opened it, and they ran in, shutting the door tightly behind them.

"What's up Lu?" Edmund asked, taking a seat on the edge of her bed. "Where did you find him? so much has happened here..."

"So much has happened to me, too." Lucy said. "There's something you should know, Edmund."

He made a sound that implied that he was listening.

"You're real parents are King Frank and Queen Helen the first king and queen of Narnia." Lucy told him, she lifted her thumb to reveal the gold ring. She slipped it off and pressed it into Edmund's palm. "this is yours."

"Are you sure?" Edmund asked in a tone of wonder, peering down at the ring, which sure enough had his name on it.

"Yes." Lucy said. "I'm sure. You and Susan are their missing children. You disappeared one day and came into England somehow. And then you found Peter and me and well..." She didn't need to explain the rest.

"Wow..." Edmund suddenly realized what might have happened to Susan. Susan might just be talking about her old life in Narnia with their birth parents. She'd been nearly old enough to remember, unlike him.

"King Len, the first king of Archenland is your brother." Lucy told him.

"That explains so much." Edmund said softly.

"Yes it does." Lucy agreed. "But tell me, what's happened to Peter?"

Edmund sighed and told her in as few words as he could, about the love triangle, Miraz's evil plans, and the gallows.

Lucy stared at him wide-eye clearly in frightened awe, as he spoke and told her all of this.

"And if we don't get him out of there tonight, they're going to hang him tomorrow." Edmund finished.

"Oh no." Lucy whispered. "We can't let this happen."

"We wont." Edmund assured her. "Now that you're here we'll get him out together. Where's Aslan? Surely he'll help us. You did bring him back with you right?"

Lucy shook her head. "I have to meet him back at the how. I haven't come back to stay."

"When do you have to leave?" Edmund asked her.

Lucy thought it over. "As soon as you give me your word that you wont tell anyone that I've come back."

"Not even Caspian and Susan?" Edmund asked.

"No, Edmund." Lucy said firmly. "Not even them."

"Alright then." Edmund said finally. "I give you my word."

"Ed, don't try to get Peter out of there tonight." Lucy told him. "I think Aslan has some sort of plan. But if I'm not back before they take him to the gallows, just stall them somehow, alright? I'm going to try and get help from Aslan and the other Narnians. We'll save him but we need to do it Aslan's way, not ours."

"Well said." Edmund nodded. "I'll do that."

"Thank you, Ed!" Lucy cried hugging him tightly.

"Well, you've been right before." Edmund laughed a little. "Only a fool would go against your orders now."

"For Narnia." Lucy said with a smile as she walked to the door, about to leave.

"And for Aslan." Edmund winked at her.

"For Aslan." Lucy whispered softly, as she walked down to the stable, saddled up Caspian's horse again and rode towards the How.


	15. How the golden lady saved Peter

Riding towards Aslan's How, Lucy saw a thin strip of light coming out over the horizon. The sun was rising. Soon they'd be taking her brother to the gallows. She tried to go faster. She had to reach Aslan and learn of his plans before that happened. She just had to.

In her mind's eye, she kept seeing the look on her brother's face when he saw her in the light of the electric torch, and glanced up at her. It was a look of deep pain and remorse. She hated that look. It was a look of giving up. There had been a slight spark in his eye as he'd said, "Lucy?" He'd been glad to see her. Even from a prison cell.

"I'm almost there and when I get there, Aslan will make everything alright again." She kept telling herself over and over.

Meanwhile, Peter was being lifted roughly to his feet by a couple of strong solders who were followed by guards with big spears. They dragged him out of the cell. He didn't fight them. Part of him wanted to, but he felt so tired. Also, his arm still hurt and the pain in his back and the bruise he'd gotten on his face was a reminder of what would happen if he tried to escape again.

He wished he could talk to Edmund and maybe even Susan one last time before the Telmarines killed him. He wanted to ask a them to send his love back to Mum and Dad in England if they ever happened to go there again. And most importantly, if Lucy should come back after he was dead, he wanted them to tell her that he was sorry. That he had never been more sorry about anything in his life. That he loved her and that he should have trusted her. That she was in the right.

"Miraz, can I have a last request?" He said in a hoarse voice to the king who was waiting at the stairs leading into the dungeon.

"What is it?" Miraz growled in an annoyed tone.

"Can I write a letter to be given to my family after my death?" Peter asked.

For reasons unknown, even to himself, Miraz gave Peter his request. He had the watchman bring him a pen and a sheet of paper.

Peter was only given a short time and a very little bit of light to write it by, but he managed. In the letter was everything he wanted to tell them. An apology to Lucy. A thank you for everything you've ever done for me, to Edmund. And a reminder that no matter what he still loved her, to Susan. He gave the letter to the guard with the kindest face out of the group and asked for it to be delivered one hour after they hung him.

After that, he was grabbed by the collar and pulled to his feet again. The guards shoved him into a low wooden wagon with look out bars in the middle. It was so low that he couldn't even sit up in it, he had to lay down on his belly with his nose turned out at the bars. Because his head was so close to the ground, the sound of the wheels turning, gallows-bound, rang in his ears so loudly he thought he might go deaf. Not that it mattered now. You couldn't use your ears after you were dead.

Lucy finally reached the How, she leaped off of Caspian's horse, stumbling onto the ground. "Oof!" she whimpered as she stood up, brushed herself off, and raced into the How.

"Aslan?" She called walking down the dark pathways. "Aslan, where are you?"

In one room, the room with the broken stone table in the middle, the fire was lit and many Narnians where gathered there. Dwarfs, talking animals, fauns, and a few others stood near the broken table, on which, Aslan himself sat.

"Aslan!" Lucy cried as she came into the room, barely noticing the others.

"Ah, you have returned at last." Aslan purred contently, getting off the stone table and walking over to her. "We have to get you ready."

"Oh Aslan, please, you do have a plan to rescue Peter don't you? Please tell me you do." Lucy struggled to hold back the tears that pricked her eyes making the large golden lion look more like a large golden blur.

Aslan gently patted her hand with his soft velveted paw. "Yes, Dear one, I do."

Lucy's smile reached ear to ear. "What shall I do then?"

Aslan leaned over and whispered his plans in her ear. Lucy listened carefully, lest she miss something important.

"Do you understand?" Aslan asked her after he had finished.

"I think so, Aslan." Lucy told him. "I do think so, but..."

Aslan raised a golden eyebrow at her.

"Supposing the Telmarines refuse the offer..." Lucy shuddered at the thought.

"They are a greedy people descended from pirates, they aren't likely to refuse." Aslan said softly. "But now we need to get you ready."

"Will we make it in time?" Lucy asked anxiously. "I don't know how long Edmund can stall them for."

"Worry not." Aslan told her. "We must not rush this and you must not let being afraid make you act afraid, or they might become suspicious."

Lucy nodded. "That's right, I ought to have thought of that."

The gallows was surrounded by people. Most of whom had been personally invited by Miraz so he could show off his hard-fisted law-holding ways.

Susan, Caspian, Prunaprismia, and the other ladies of the court were there as well but only because Miraz had forced them to come.

Some of the Knights that had thought highly of Peter and his skill had come to see him one last time. And those knights who hadn't liked him and were jealous of his skills had come to see his end for themselves.

Edmund was there of course, sitting next to Susan and Caspian. Susan looked very confused and kept asking what they were doing at the gallows. She prattled on for a good fifteen minutes about how hanging people, even criminals, was cruel and why on earth her father King Frank was letting these people do this was beyond her.

"Look here, Su." Edmund tried to explain what was going on, convinced that it was only shock and not really memory loss. "Surely you remember that King Frank isn't in charge anymore. Miraz is. Frank, our father, has been dead for thousands of years now."

"Really?" Susan rubbed her forehead. "Where has my head been at all this time?"

"You're in shock." Edmund explained. "What's the last thing you can remember?"

"I was in that tunnel and you were little." Susan told him. "And then I was on that bed and you weren't so little anymore and that nice Telmarine fellow thought we were betrothed."

"We _are_ betrothed." Caspian told her for the thousandth time that day.

"Are you sure?" Susan asked him. "Maybe you misunderstood? Master Koreen says men misunderstand things all the time. He would know because he's a male even if he's a faun and not a human."

"No, we're really betrothed." Caspian insisted.

Susan shrugged. "Okay." She wasn't going to argue about it.

Edmund looked at the stand where the servants were preparing the rope they were going to hand Peter with. He gulped. Lucy hadn't come back yet. He'd full expected Aslan to come roaring in, bounding over the green hills to the left of them by now. What was the hold up?

Peter was pulled out of the wagon (resulting in splinters in some unpleasant places) and forced up the creaky wooden steps to the gallows as a large-boned Page opened a scroll and cleared his throat.

"The Knight, Sir Peter has been found guilty of crimes directly against the Telmarine crown. He has been sentenced to death and shall hear-by be hung by the neck until death."

The guards jerked Peter forward. Looking down into the crowd seated below, Peter noticed Susan sitting in between Caspian and Edmund. He tried to meet her eyes one last time.

Susan wondered why the young man about to be killed was looking at her so sadly. She felt sorry for him. He didn't have a criminals face she decided, he had a rather nice face. She noticed that he was trying to make eye contact. She didn't return the gesture. After all, it would be too painful to look into the eyes of someone you knew was about to die. She quickly looked away.

Peter's face fell. She was ignoring him. She didn't care anymore. She seemed somewhat sad but not truly grieved. It was the same gentle regretful expression she would have worn on her face if a complete stranger was about to be hung in front of her. She hated seeing things killed. But she showed no signs of mourning for him. No signs that she still loved him.

Edmund at least seemed truly troubled but he didn't look at him either. He just kept looking both ways over and over as if eagerly waiting for someone to arrive.

"And now, proceed." The page said.

They were about to put the rope on his neck when Edmund jumped up and shouted, "Wait!"

"What is it now?" Miraz huffed, putting his hands on his hips.

Edmund came up onto the stage and waved to everyone. "Hello, I'm the criminal's brother, you may know me as Edmund, you may not."

"What the...?" Peter muttered, raising his head a little. What in the world was Edmund doing?

"I was hoping to give a speech to remember my brother by, a memorial for those who care." Edmund announced.

"No one cares!" One knight called out. "just hang him already!"

"Shut up!" Caspian shouted at the heckler knight. He nodded at Edmund and mouthed, "Go on."

"This is highly irregular." Miraz told him.

"Please?" Edmund begged. "I'll try to make it brief."

"Alright, but hurry up, I'm a busy man and I have a lot to do today." Miraz snapped.

Good, this was working. Now all Edmund had to do was make up a speech. This couldn't be too hard. All he had to do was drone on and on about Peter until Aslan came.

"Year one." Edmund started, clearing his throat. "Peter was born into the world on a bright sunny day in June-I think, or was it July?" He knew what it really was but looked back at Peter and asked what his birthday was to make the speech go by even slower. "I wasn't there so I don't know how it was but mum says being in labor with him was really painful..."

Back at the How, Lucy was getting ready. She untied the buddle and pulled out the glittering golden dress. She changed into it. It was warm and soft and light. It felt like she was wearing sunshine in the form of fabric. Now changed, she stepped out of the room she'd been changing in and back into the stone table room. The Narnians clapped when she entered.

Badger wobbled over to her and handed her a long belt the same colour gold as her dress was. Lucy slipped it around her waist noticing that it had a spot for her cordial and a spot for a sword. Only thing was she didn't actually have a sword.

Trumpkin took something out of a hole in the wall. "We dwarfs made this just for you, Queen Lucy." It was a sword just the right size for Lucy to wear with the belt. It had a dark gold hilt and the rest was made of a lighter shade of gold, almost a yellow.

"Thank you." Lucy beamed at him as she slid the sword into its place on her belt. "It's beautiful."

"Remember that it's a tool not a toy." Aslan cautioned her.

"I will, Aslan, thank you." Lucy sighed happily. Not only were her new things wonderful but they'd help save her brother too.

At the gallows, Edmund was still prattling on about Peter's life. "Year nine, still has a problem with wetting the bed, Parents at a loss."

Some of the knights broke out into a fit of laughter.

"Edmund!" Peter snapped, glaring at him. He knew Edmund was trying to help him somehow but this was really unnecessary. At this point he'd rather just have them hang him and get it over with.

"Sorry, Pete." Edmund mouthed before starting on about year ten in which Peter fell out of a tree and had to get stitches.

A faun tied Lucy's hair back with a golden ribbon while a dryad put a heavy gold necklace around her neck. Lucy wondered how she was going to keep her head up wearing that thing.

"You're almost ready." Aslan told her. "But Caspian's horse must not be recognized."

He breathed on the horse and his coat turned golden like a palomino and his mane and tail turned a gleaming white.

Lucy handed Trumpkin the enchanted cloak. He put it around his shoulders and instantly became a tall, lean, rather handsome, human. His beard was replaced by a thin mustache. Even his own mother wouldn't have recognized him.

Everyone walked outside. Once there, with a little help from Trumpkin (who got on his own horse an followed her afterwards as the plan called for.), Lucy got on the horse and set off for the cave where she'd left the treasure of Anvard.

She and Trumpkin hitched the wagon to Trumpkin's horse and them set off for the gallows.

"You're shaking." Trumpkin noticed.

"Yes, sorry." Lucy blushed a little and looked straight ahead.

"Don't forget the veil." Trumpkin warned her.

"Oops." Lucy nearly had forgotten. If he hadn't reminded her, the whole plan might have been blown. She quickly slid the veil over her head, covering her face.

Edmund had now made it up to year twelve. "Mum and dad explain the birds and the bees. Completely traumatized, Peter vows never again to ask where he came from."

"Boo!" One of the knights called, hurling a rotten cabbage at Edmund's head. "Get off the stage."

"I've had enough of this!" Miraz boomed, pounding his scepter on the ground. "Let's proceed with the hanging."

"But I wasn't finished!" Edmund protested as several guards dragged him off the stage. "I didn't even get to the part where he hits puberty!"

"Who cares?" Someone in the crowd shouted.

At this point, to keep stalling, Edmund was fully prepared to burst into spontaneous song, hoping his bad singing voice would confuse the Telmarines. But as soon as he opened his mouth to sing, he heard the sound of a horn being blown.

On the green hill top a few feet away, was a lady dressed head to toe in gold seated on a glorious golden horse. She wore a veil over her face so no one could tell if she was pretty or not but most assumed she was stunning anyway. By her side hung a sparkling gold sword.

Edmund himself felt a little woozy at the sight of her. He wasn't sure how, but he thought he knew her. Really knew her. He thought the dress looked familiar too.

The horn had been blown by the lady's manservant who wore a black cloak around his broad shoulders. She called him to her and whispered something to him. He nodded and walked his own horse and the wagon the beast was pulling, over towards Miraz and the other members of the court.

"Hello." Miraz greeted him in a friendly tone, knowing the fellow's mistress must be very wealthy.

"Hello." The man said in a gruff voice that Edmund and Peter both thought sounded strangely like Trumpkin's. "I see you are having a hanging today."

"Yes." Miraz told him. "A horrid law breaker must be punished. why does the lady not join us?"

"She doesn't like hangings." Said the man with a shrug. "But she has stopped for this one."

"Why?" Miraz asked, clearly confused.

"It's silly, I'm sure, but my lady has seen that boy-" He motioned at Peter. "-From the hilltop and has taken a fancy to him somehow and wishes to buy him as a slave. I tried to talk her out of it but she wouldn't listen. But I have been ordered by her father to give into each and every whim of hers thus, I am requesting to buy gallows meat from you."

"That is a very dangerous criminal, sir." Miraz warned him. "Your lady doesn't want him, tell her we'll give her a nice Telmarine boy servant instead."

"She's dead set on buying that boy there." The man insisted.

"Well I'm certain even she couldn't afford to bail him out." Miraz said in a rather snotty tone now. "There isn't enough money in the world to convince me to let him go free."

The man let out a chuckle.

"What, pray tell, is so funny?" Miraz demanded.

The man ripped the burlap covering off of his wagon, revealing tons and tons of gems, diamonds, and gold.

Miraz looked at Peter them back at the gold. His eyes gleamed bright with greed.

"He's all yours!" he blurted out. He'd find another way to prove he was still a strong leader. He couldn't pass up such riches.

The man walked up to Peter and grabbed him by the back of the hands as if he was leading off a new slave and took him up to the hill where the golden lady sat on her horse.

Edmund, Susan, and Caspian watched in amazement as Peter was lifted onto the back of the golden lady's horse.

What am I going to tell Aslan when he comes and finds Peter gone? Edmund wondered. But maybe this was part of Aslan's plan somehow. Or even if it wasn't at least Peter wasn't in danger anymore.

Suddenly Susan let out a gasp. "Wait, what's going on?"

Edmund noticed that Susan's face had gone back to normal she didn't seem confused or stressed anymore. She looked like her old self. She must have finally been coming out of shock.

"When did we get to the gallows?" Susan asked, she squinted at the figure on the hilltop. If it had been a littler nearer she would have recognized the dress right away. "And who's that taking Peter away?"

"I have no idea." Edmund told her.

Peter felt as if he was in a strange dream. They were letting him go for money? He was a slave to this Lady now? It all seemed so unreal. He was sitting on the back of the golden horse how but couldn't really remember climbing on all that clearly.

"Put your arms around my waist so you don't fall off." The Lady said. It was a soft young, girlish voice. The Lady must have been younger than he'd guessed

"Wait-" Peter mumbled, doing what she's just told him to do as he spoke. "I know that voice..."

The horse broke into a full gallop towards the woods.


	16. Lucy and Peter talk at Aslan

After the Golden Lady had taken Peter away from the gallows, everyone went back to the castle, wondering if the whole morning had been just a dream.

"What a strange hanging." Prunaprismia commented as she and the Countess (The one Susan hated) walked side by side back to the castle.

"Yes indeed." The Countess agreed with her. "but of course I can certainly see why the lady would want him. _I'd_ want him if I were her."

"What I wonder," A duchess close behind them said. "Is why the Golden Lady wore a veil."

"Perhaps that is the custom in whatever land she comes from." Prunaprismia guessed. "She must have been from very far away. I've never seen anything like the treasure she gave Miraz in exchange for gallows meat."

"Or maybe she had something to hide." The duchess said dramatically. "Maybe it was the face of another criminal behind that veil."

"You don't suppose it was..." the countess said, lowering her voice. "Forgive me and say nothing of my words to Miraz, but do you suppose it could have been a northern witch?"

"What do you mean?" the duchess asked.

"Well, in those old barbarian Narnian tales, there was a northern witch who made herself queen of the whole country. And then she captured King Edmund."

"I don't think that part of the story is true." Prunaprismia told her.

"Well why don't we ask him then?" The countess suggested. "Let's ask Edmund if it really happened. And if he thought the lady on the hill looked like another witch. He'd know, wouldn't he?"

The duchess giggled. "You don't believe he's really one of the kings of old, do you?"

"Isn't he?" the Countess said.

"He may have been only someone Caspian hired to scare Miraz before the treaty." The duchess explained.

"Dear, I do not fancy those horrid old Narnian tales, I may hate them deep down, almost as much as my dear Miraz does, but even I can tell that's those four are the kings and queens of old." Prunaprismia pointed out.

"Edmund?" The countess walked over to him.

"Yes?" What did she want?

"Is it true that you were taken away by a terrible Northern witch called, The White Witch?" She asked him.

Edmund shuddered. The thought of Jadis still made him want to vomit. "Yes. Why?"

"Well, I was thinking, do you suppose the lady who took Peter away might be another northern witch?" The Countess asked, sounding more curious than concerned.

Edmund felt horrible. He'd never thought of that. He'd been so sure they could trust the Golden Lady that he'd never thought about if he should have tried to get Peter away from her. Supposing the reason he felt he knew her so well was only because of an enchantment. Suppose she really was another northern witch. It would explain why everyone was so dazzled by her. He hated to think of what horrible plot this lady (Or witch) might have against Narnia. He dreaded the thought of Peter being a slave to whomever this was.

Susan, who was close by listening to this, was frightened for him as well. But she didn't think it was a Northern witch. Or at least, she hoped not.

Caspian noticed that she seemed to know who he was now. "Thank goodness you're back to normal."

"Normal?" Susan asked sounding somewhere between puzzled and insulted. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Since you fainted yesterday, you didn't even know who I was." Caspian told her.

"I fainted?" Susan rubbed her forehead, trying to remember gave her a headache.

"You don't remember?"

"No." Susan told him. "I remember kicking at the door after the ladies of the court locked me in." She shot the Countess a dirty look. "And the next think I knew I was sitting at the gallows with you and Edmund."

Edmund realized this meant he'd have to tell her about them being the children of King Frank and Queen Helen because she forgotten about that again.

"Oh Ed, do you think we'll ever see him again?" Susan asked sadly.

Edmund wasn't sure. "I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see."

"Oh you don't suppose she really _was_ a northern witch?" Susan asked in a weary voice. "You don't think she'll do anything to him, do you?"

Edmund wanted to tell her that they could still hope for Aslan because Lucy had returned but he'd given his word not to tell. Thinking about Lucy, it suddenly dawned on him who must have really been on that horse. And though he wasn't sure how it happened, he understood why the man may have sounded like Trumpkin. And to think, he'd been worried it was a northern witch! The reason he'd felt he'd known her so well was not an enchantment but a genuine familiarity. The girl on the horse, must have been none other that Lucy herself.

He threw his head back and started laughing. His shoulders shaking up and down as he did so. And to think he hadn't figured it out sooner!

"Edmund, have you gone mad?" Susan asked, frowning at him.

"No." Edmund laughed. "but I don't think we have to worry about Peter now."

"Why not?" Susan asked.

"You'll see." Edmund chuckled.

The Golden Lady rode quickly through the woods back to the How. Peter didn't say a word after "I know that voice." it took her only a few seconds to figure out that was because he'd blacked out. Not fully fainted but not completely aware of his surroundings.

Once they were at the entrance to Aslan's How, the lady got off the horse and she and Trumpkin helped Peter down. He moaned when Trumpkin accidentally bumped his arm but still didn't open his eyes all the way.

He had a very vague idea of a few kind-sounding fauns saying, "The poor king, help him." And the feel of being lifted into a dark warm-cool place. Then he was being placed down on something soft. Like a bed but not quite. (It was a little cot they had made for him in the how). He felt very weak all of a sudden. Then there was the feel of a drop of something warm and juice-like landing in his mouth. (Lucy-still dressed as the golden lady-had taken out her cordial and given a drop to her brother hoping to heal his injuries.)

The next thing he knew, he opened his eyes and saw the golden lady, her face still covered by the veil, peering down at him. He felt drops of water on his face that he'd thought was a leak in the roof until he noticed they was coming from the other side of the golden veil. The lady was crying over him. He also noticed that she was holding his hand rather tightly.

"Um hullo?" Peter mumbled blinking up at her.

"He's alive!" The lady threw her arms around him. "I thought we'd lost you."

"That voice..." Peter muttered. "Do I know you?"

"What do you mean?" Lucy hadn't realized she was still wearing the veil. "Oh, Peter, can't you tell it's me?" She laughed a little, letting go of his hand and taking off the veil.

"Lucy!" He cried happily. He sat up and found much to his surprise and delight that his arm, back and face didn't hurt anymore. The cordial must have worked.

The two smiled at each other and then met in a tight embrace. Neither wanted to let go.

"I thought I'd never see you again." Peter whispered still clinging to her tightly.

"I was so worried you weren't going to make it." Lucy said softy, her arms still wrapped around her brother. "You seemed so weak. I thought we'd lost you."

Finally they let go of one another. Lucy took a seat on the cot with him so they could talk.

"What were you doing at the gallows?" Peter asking Lucy, laughing a little.

"Saving you, of course." Lucy said simply.

"But I mean, how did you know?" Peter clarified.

"Edmund told me." Lucy said.

"But when did you talk to Edmund?" Peter looked very confused. "You never came back to the castle and Edmund never left it."

"I did come back." Lucy confessed. "but Aslan ordered me to speak only to Edmund. So I did. That's why I had to run away from you when we met in the dungeon."

"Wait, that was really you?" Peter asked in a tone of wonder. "I thought I was dreaming."

"No, it was really me." Lucy assured him. "I'm so sorry I had to leave you there but this was the only way to save you."

"Don't say sorry to me, Lu." Peter told her, shaking his head. "I should be apologizing to you, not the other way around."

"Oh, forget it about it." Lucy told him. "It doesn't matter. All is forgiven now."

"But, Lu!" Peter protested. "I should have believed you about Aslan and about waiting and taking that treaty was the stupidest thing I've never done in my life."

"You have been made smarter choices." Lucy had to admit.

"Yeah..." Peter sighed. "What was I thinking?"

Lucy shrugged. "Now what's this Edmund says about you and Susan?"

Peter turned very red in the face. "He told you that?"

Lucy nodded.

"I'm going to kill him." Peter muttered.

"Why?" Lucy asked.

"Because he told you." Peter growled.

"Why shouldn't I know?" Lucy asked feeling a little insulted.

"It's sort of weird, don't you think?" Peter asked her.

Lucy shook her head. "It's really sweet."

Peter raised an eyebrow at her. "You really think so?"

"Well." Lucy thought it over. "Think about it yourself. It is sort of sweet considering how you two met."

Peter smiled remembering the cold night when he'd let the two 'street children' inside the house. He wondered if he'd somehow deep down known he'd fall in love with her even then but didn't realize it.

"I don't have a chance with her now though." Peter sighed. "She's with Caspian."

"Didn't this whole gallows mess start because she ended up feeling the same way?" Lucy pointed out.

"By the lion, you're smart for your age." Peter commented.

"I know." Lucy smiled.

"So where's Aslan now?" Peter asked.

Lucy looked a little sad. "I'm not sure, he wasn't here when I got back with you."

"Oh, I see." Peter sighed. "What do we do now?"

"Wait." Lucy said.

"Like we should have done before." Peter moaned to himself. "I'm such an idiot."

In another part of Narnia, Miraz was trying to lift the treasure from the wagon the Golden Lady had left with him into his royal storage chamber.

He didn't trust the servants to handle such wealth so he had to lift even the heaviest pieces himself. In the end, it was too much for him. He put his hand to his heart, and fell on the floor.

His attendants and his wife rushed over to him but they knew at once that no physician in the world would do him any good now. He was gone. Caspian was to be the new king in his place.


	17. A better life ahead?

"Our King left this world leaving behind a grieving widow and nephew, we must comfort them..." The page spoke over the coffin with a put-on expression of sorrow, reading a rather lengthy speech about the late not-so-great King Miraz.

The only one truly sorry to see him gone was Prunaprismia. In spite of all the horrible things he had done in his lifetime, she deeply loved him. No one could really understand why and she could never explain it herself, but she did. And the only tears in the open-air Telmarine royal cemetery that day came from her eyes.

Caspian's only pity was not for his uncle but for his aunt. True, he had never liked her and she had never liked him but he felt pity all the same. Perhaps the reason she had been so fond of Miraz was because other than maybe Susan and a couple of other court ladies, no one else could stand her nagging, silly ways. Now she was all alone. She'd just lost her child, wasn't it a shame that she should lose her husband as well?

For Edmund it was very hard not to simply blurt out, "Well, good riddance!" and maybe give the coffin a little kick and storm off. After all, the man had tried to hang Peter barely a day ago. That wasn't something you could just forget. But he managed a solemn expression and a sympathetic nod at Prunaprismia.

Susan was the one best at comforting the widow. She was kind to her and said in death Miraz was now forgiven for all his sins. Prunaprismia who had at times laid awake a night thinking about some of the horrible things he had done, found this somewhat reassuring.

After the funeral was over, Edmund announced that he was going to take a horse and go find Lucy and Peter.

"I'll try to bring them back here in time for the coronation." He told them.

"Don't be silly, Ed." Susan said. "You don't know where to find either of them."

Edmund smiled to himself. Judging from his last conversation with Lucy, he had a feeling that they might be at Aslan's How. Now that Miraz was dead, they ought to be told about it.

"Trust me on this, Su." Edmund told her kindly.

"Please, don't go." Susan pleaded with him. "Peter and Lucy are already lost, must I lose you-my own brother-as well?"

"You wont lose me." Edmund assured her. "I promise I will be back in time for the coronation."

"That's less than a day away." Susan reminded him. "You can't possibly go all over Narnia searching for them and come back in time."

"Susan, there's something I want to tell you." Edmund said, lowering his voice and leaning towards her ear. "I have good reason to believe that the golden Lady was none other than Lucy and that she and Peter are currently safe and sound in Aslan's how."

Susan's eyes widened, her expression turning almost hopeful. "What makes you think that?"

"I can't tell you." Edmund said in a regretful tone. "At least not all of it. But you have to trust me on this. I just want to go to Aslan's How fetch them and come back."

"Alright, Ed." Susan gave in. "Go, but promise me you'll come back by tomorrow."

"I promise." Edmund told her. He lifted up one of his fingers revealing a gold ring. It was the one Lucy had found in the ruins of Anvard and given to him that night when she'd come back. It was one of his most prized possessions now. He slid it off and handed it to Susan. "Here. you can give it back the next time you see me."

Susan studied the strange ring carefully. "Where did you get this?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

"It's a long story." Edmund said. "But it came from our birth parents. I think they were going to give it to me before we were separated."

"You know who they are, don't you?" Susan gasped.

"Yes." Edmund told her. "And so do you. You talked about them constantly when you were in your state of shock. You just don't remember."

"It's hard." Susan whispered, shaking her head. "It's not that I don't want to remember...I just...can't. I do remember a dark tunnel though...and you crying...do you remember it?"

"No." Edmund told her. "Can you remember anything else?"

"Sorry, no." Susan confessed. "I wish I did. Maybe it'll come back to me someday."

"Maybe." Edmund said, heading for the stables.

"Be safe." Susan gave her brother a hug before he left.

"I will be." Edmund promised her.

Hours later, Susan sat up in her room looking out at the sunset. She looked at Edmund's ring which was now glittering on her thumb. A distant image of a royal nursery entered her mind, but it was rather blurry and hard to focus on. She might remember everything one day, she might not. But she knew she'd be okay somehow. No matter what was about to happen, she'd be alright somehow.

Peter and Lucy were sitting up on Peter's cot playing a game of chess while Reepicheep watched and rooted for each of them by turn when a horn was blown announcing that someone had just arrived at the how.

Peter and Lucy scrambled to the top of the how and looked down at the visitor. A familiar looking boy in Telmarine clothing.

"Is that...?" Peter started.

"Edmund!" Cried Lucy happily, waving down at him.

Edmund looked up, smiled, and waved back. Looking to the left of her, he saw Peter not as he had last seen him beaten up with a dark bruise on his cheek and a hollow broken look in his eyes, but rather the Peter he had known if not from the golden age, a little before it. He didn't look frightened anymore or weary. Something about him now suggested that he had regained his faith in Aslan as well.

Lucy raced down the little steps, careful not to fall or cause a rock side that might bring half the place crashing down. Peter followed close behind her but at a slightly slower pace.

"What are you doing here?" Lucy asked cheerfully as she hugged him.

"I've come to tell you and Peter that Miraz is dead. Caspian is about to be crowned king." Edmund said, his voice suddenly breathless as he realized what this truly meant for the Narnians. "Every Narnian in this forest is now free!"

"Wonderful!" Peter said happily. "I'm glad that part of the treaty worked out even if it was stupid of me to except it in the first place."

"Now we can all go back for the coronation." Edmund told them. "I'll be fun. We can wear Narnian clothes again, sing Narnian songs, we don't have to act like Telmarines anymore."

"Oh hooray!" Cried Lucy. "No more Telmarines dresses!"

"No more of these hideous Telmarine tunics either!" Edmund added gleefully. "I'm changing into proper Narnian clothes first chance I get."

"Isn't it wonderful..." Lucy glanced at Peter and noticing that he didn't seem as happy as they were all meant to be. "Peter, aren't you glad?"

Peter forced a smile. "Sure I am."

"He's faking it." Edmund whispered in Lucy's ear.

Lucy nodded and whispered back, "I can tell."

"Why don't we get you all ready to leave?" Peter offered. "We'll just pack up all the stuff in the How and get you all set off."

"Why do you keep talking like you aren't coming back with us?" Edmund asked him, dreading the answer he was almost positive Peter was about to give him.

"Because, I'm not." Peter told them rather gravely.

Lucy's face fell. "You're not?"

"No." Peter sighed. "I'd be better off staying at the How for a while until I decided what I'm going to do with my life. I don't want to go back to the royal court. There's nothing for me there."

"You could be a knight again." Edmund reminded him. "Miraz isn't around to hang you."

"No." Peter said. "Thanks but no thanks. Don't like it, don't want it."

"But think about it, Peter!" Edmund tried again. "We're all free now. We can live however we please. You might actually enjoy yourself at the castle this time."

Peter wasn't moved. "Nope. Staying. Not going."

"But wont you miss me?" Lucy asked in a small voice.

Peter smiled at her. "Of course, Lu. But don't worry, you can come and visit me here. I wont disappear from you life. Just the court part of it."

"Hermits smell bad." Edmund told him. "If you live here alone for a long time, you'll get really bad body odor."

"Ed, I'm not that stupid. I know how to bathe in a lake." Peter snapped.

"Lakes smell." Edmund retorted stubbornly.

They looked up at him with pleading eyes hoping to weaken his resolve. "Please Peter? Please come back with us?" They begged.

Peter sighed. "There's nothing for me there."

"Sure there is." Edmund protested, struggling to come up with something. "There's...well...and um...there's..."

"There's Susan." Lucy said sort of quietly.

For a moment Peter looked like he might reconsider but then he frowned. "She doesn't care about me."

"Yes she does." Edmund told him.

"Ed, she didn't even care when I was about to get hung!" Peter exclaimed.

"Yes she did." Edmund told him. "She went into compete shock when they told her."

Peter looked very surprised. "She did?"

Edmund nodded. "The reason she wouldn't look at you was because of the shock, in that state she didn't even know who you were."

"I've been such a fool." Peter chuckled to himself.

"So, you'll come back with us?" Edmund asked.

"Um, no." Peter said, still not willing to give in.

"Why not?" Edmund pouted.

"Why am I going to go back? So I can just watch her marry someone else?" Peter pointed out. "He's going to be the king and he'll have to marry her fairly soon and then she'll be the queen."

"Fine then." Edmund huffed. "Suit yourself."

Inside the how, Lucy started packing away her things. She'd changed into something suitable (Narnian of course) for traveling and was packing the golden dress and veil, carefully folded. She was glad she didn't have to put in a tight buddle again. Doing that wore down the fabric. She'd put away nearly everything when she remembered the enchanted cloak.

She'd been about to place it next to the dress and shut the lid of the trunk but now she hesitated. She was tempted to put it back on and become beautiful beyond the lot of mortals again.

Looking both ways to be sure no one was walking by or peering into the room, Lucy slipped the cloak over her shoulders. She reached for a mirror and saw her beautiful face again. She didn't have time to think about it though because as soon as she caught a glimpse of her reflection, she heard a gasp from the doorway.

Darn it, she'd been so careful and somehow she'd been seen anyway. Slowly, Lucy turned her head to see who was there. "Edmund?"

Edmund squinted very hard at her. "Lucy, is that you?"

"Yes." Lucy blushed feeling very stupid.

"What happened?" He asked, sounding surprisingly disappointed.

Lucy turned even redder. "I may have used an enchanted cloak to make myself pretty."

"Oh." Edmund wrinkled his nose. He didn't seem pleased

"You don't like it?" Lucy asked softly.

"It's not that..." Edmund sighed, tilting his head to examine her more closely. "It's just..."

"Just what?" Lucy asked, wondering why she suddenly had the urge to cry.

"I just like the way you usually look." Edmund shrugged his shoulders. "That's all."

"I see." Lucy suddenly didn't think she looked quite as beautiful as before. Using the cloak seemed stupid now. She took it off and instantly changed back.

"Better." Edmund smiled at her. "Much better."

Lucy smiled back shyly for a moment. Then they heard Trumpkin loudly asking where the devil his slippers had gone off to and Edmund went to help him.

Lucy looked at the hand mirror she was packing. "Better." She said to her reflection. "Much better."


	18. Choices that could hurt you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right-o. That settles it. I'm convinced younger me couldn't edit her own work to save her life. I just am.

The next morning, Susan watched from her window as a familiar galloping horse came into view. It was Destrier, Caspian's horse (Aslan's breath had worn off so the horse was brown again and not a golden palomino colour). Edmund was in the front directing the horse and Lucy was in the back with her arms around his waist so she didn't fall off.

Although she was overjoyed to see Lucy again, even from a distance, she wondered where Peter was. Susan leaned further out the window to see if he was a behind them on another horse.

Lucy saw Susan hanging out of the window. She unwrapped one of her arms from Edmund's waist and waved to her.

Susan finally realized that Peter wasn't coming behind them and waved back at Lucy and Edmund. She walked out of her room, down the corridor, and into the stables.

"Susan!" Lucy cried happily as she got off the horse and tightly embraced her.

"Lu, are you alright?" Susan beamed at her. "Where have you been all this time?"

"Saving Narnia, that's where." Edmund laughed getting off the horse himself now. "told you I'd be back."

Susan nodded. "Then you'll want this back." She took the ring off her thumb and handed it back to Edmund.

"Thanks." He slipped it back on his finger.

"Where's Peter?" Susan asked in a worried voice. "He's alright, isn't he?"

"He's fine." Edmund assured her. "He's just not coming."

"Not coming?" Susan echoed. "At all? Ever?"

"I'm sorry, Su." Edmund said rather gravely. "He doesn't want to come back and be a knight, even now."

"I don't understand him." Susan laughed bitterly out of frustration. "He's willing to come and live in depression when Miraz is ruling but when Caspian's about to set everything right again, he refuses to come."

Meanwhile, Peter was sitting in the stone table room at the how by himself. All the Narnians had left by then. They'd said cheerful friendly goodbyes and several of them had offered to let him come to their homes. But he politely turned them down. He felt at peace in the deserted How. It was the first time in a while he'd felt so calm inside.

He was looking up at the carving of Aslan in the wall. It felt good to know that he was forgiven. Although, come to think of it, Aslan had never actually forgiven him, Lucy had. He wondered if Aslan was still angry. But he knew Aslan had had a hand in saving him as well. He had done the planning and Lucy had carried out his orders.

"I'm sorry, Aslan." Peter whispered softy.

"All is forgiven, son of Adam." Wait, had the carving just spoke to him?

Peter blinked in confusion and squinted at the carving for any signs of intelligent ability.

"I'm over here, Peter." The deep Lion like voice laughed. "Behind you."

Peter got up and turned around. There stood the great Lion, Aslan. He bowed the best he could managed with his shaking knees. "Hello, Aslan."

"You've messed up, but you are forgiven." Aslan told him in a kind but firm voice. "However, know that you are forgiven not for the sake of your own bravery, honour, and steadfastness, but for the sake of your sister's love for you."

Peter smiled a little at the thought of his kind wonderful sister who had rescued him from the gallows. "If Lucy hadn't come to you, would I be dead now?"

"We can never know what would have happened." Aslan told him. "As I have told you and other humans like yourself many times, no one is told any story but their own. And they can only know what has happened and perhaps what will happen."

"I'm sorry I failed you, Aslan." Peter had a longing to reach out and stroke the Lion's fur the same way Lucy had often done. But he restrained himself. He and Aslan had never been on those terms. They'd been close but not that close.

"You didn't fail me, Peter." Aslan said gently. "Think of all the good you did for Narnia during the golden age. That shall never be forgotten."

Peter sighed. "That was so long ago. It's a new age now."

"Yes it is." Aslan agreed. "A brand new age is beginning at the start of King Caspian's coronation today. As the High King of Narnia you should be there."

"I'm not the High King anymore." Peter reminded him. "I lost that right when I agreed to the treaty. I'm just a Knight now. Actually, I'm not even that, I'm a...what am I?"

"Once a King of Narnia, always a king." Aslan said simply.

Peter shook his head. "That's all well and good, Aslan. But there aren't many 'King needed' ads to look into." He said rather dryly.

"Ah, so you have figured out that I intend to send you back to you're own world, have you?" Aslan smiled at him.

"You sent us back once." Peter said in a sort of bitter tone, forgetting for a moment exactly who he was talking to. "Why not this time?"

"You have learned all you can from this world." Aslan came closer to him. "All you have left to learn is how to live in your own."

"But what if I can't do it?" Peter cried out, suddenly on the verge of tears.

Aslan let out a soothing purring sound. "Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, that's why you came to Narnia to begin with? That by learning to deal with life a little here, you could learn to deal with life better there."

"I never thought about it that way." Peter admitted. Now that he saw it in a new light, it didn't seem so bad.

"Now, how about you climb on my back and I take you to the coronation?" Aslan offered in a tone that clearly meant he had no choice.

"Yes, Aslan." Peter dared not disobey the Lion again. But he realized that there was something he had to take with him.

He picked up his sword. He wouldn't need it when he went back into his own world but the new king, Caspian, might need it here. It would be one of the hardest things he'd ever have to do, but he'd do it, he'd give him Rhindon. The sword had been his pride and joy ever since father Christmas first gave it to him. With it, he'd fought battles, saved Susan from being a wolf's supper, and gone on raids against northern giants. But now it was time to part with those memories and move on.

Peter climbed on Aslan's back and felt strangely giddy inside. So this was what if felt like to ride a Lion. Lucy had of course told him in great detail what it was like but it wasn't really the sort of thing you could explain with words. The soft almost non-existed sound of the paws hitting the ground. The sweet wind in your face. The feeling that you were going so fast that nothing could ever touch you again, nothing could ever hurt you again. You felt unreachable and unafraid but not numb.

Aslan dropped Peter off at one of the castle's side doors. "Go to your chambers. You will find Narnian clothes waiting for you, change into them and go downstairs to the coronation. After the coronation and it's feast is over, I will send you, Lucy, and Edmund back to your own world. They may come back, but this has been your last time in Narnia, Peter."

"Is it..." Peter wondered aloud. "Because of what I did?"

Aslan's mane swayed as he shook his head no. "Not really. All things have their time and yours here has passed."

"What about Susan?" Peter blurted out. "Is she never to come back as well?"

"I know I ought not tell you this because it's not really a part of your own story but you must know, that she will be given a choice. Her fate and time will depend largely on that." Aslan explained. "I must go and speak to her about it now." And with that, the great Lion, went into the castle on his way to Queen Susan's chamber.

Susan was trying to open the clasp of a necklace that matched the dress she was wearing to the coronation, but the thing wouldn't budge. Finally with a heavy sigh, she gently tossed it back onto the dresser.

There was a sudden soft smell that floated into the room and Aslan stood in her door way.

"Aslan!" Susan gasped. It was the first time she had seen him since she'd come back to Narnia.

"Queen Susan," Aslan said gravely. "You have a choice to make. Peter, Caspian, Edmund, Lucy, and even I, cannot make it for you."

Susan's face went very white. "What sort of choice, Aslan?"

"The kind that will effect your whole life and the lives of those around you." Knowing how dark that sounded, Aslan let out a chuckle and added, "No pressure."

Susan cracked a smile. "I see."

"After Caspian is crowned King, I am sending Peter, Lucy, and Edmund back to England." Aslan told her, not beating around the bush in the least. "If you want, you can go with them but then you will have to stay in that world. You and Peter will never come back to Narnia."

Narnia was the only place that had ever felt like home. Susan hated the thought of leaving it for ever. But she'd already left it twice. Once as a small child and once as a grown up. It wasn't anything she couldn't handle. She could get used to life in England if she had to. But would it mean never having a real home again?

"Or..." Aslan prepared to tell her of her other option. "You may stay here, with Caspian. But then you will never go back into your own world."

"Will I ever see Peter again if I stay?" Susan had to know.

Aslan have her a grave, solemn look. "I'm afraid not. He wont be coming back. Only Lucy and Edmund will return."

Could she really live with that? Never seeing him again? Would it really be home without him? But wasn't Narnia always home no matter what?

"I've always felt I needed to be in Narnia." Susan whispered more to herself than to the Lion.

"Then maybe this is where you belong." Aslan said softy. "But on the other hand, maybe this isn't where you truly will find happiness. Who knows? The choice is yours."

"Let me think it over." Susan told him, taking a seat on the bed and taking in the sight of the Aslan's face. She may not have loved him as much as Lucy did but she still enjoyed looking at him when he was present.


	19. Goodbye Narnia

The throne room was fairly glittering with gold that was set out for the celebration. Ironically, most of it was the same gold that had caused Miraz's death.

The Pevensies, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy stood on the dais looking out at the members of the Telmarine court who were all seated in the polished cherry-wood pews below them.

They all tried to act cheerful. Even Peter. But his smile was-in spite of his good intentions-trained and distant. He had spoken with Susan shortly before and it seemed that she had chosen to stay in Narnia. She hadn't flat out said so, but must be confessed that she did rather strongly imply it.

It was more than just her choosing Narnia over their own world. After all, if that was the only matter, Peter knew he would have chosen the same. And unlike her, he hadn't even been born in Narnia. But in choosing to stay, she was also choosing Caspian over him. He wanted her to be happy but he knew life wouldn't be the same with out her. He'd miss her terribly.

He glanced over at her now, she looked so beautiful in her coronation dress with her long black hair reaching down the middle of her back. He could still remember quite clearly a time when it had been long enough to reach her feet. She'd been more than just a beautiful woman though. She'd been someone special because of who she was. She'd been-though he hadn't quite realized it until now-his very best friend. Lucy was his favorite sister and he valued her company greatly but there we some things he couldn't talk about with her. He and Edmund were close friends but had a very different sort of friendship than that of his with Susan. Now that he was thinking what he'd miss the most about her, he knew that more than anything else, he'd miss her companionship.

What he didn't know was that Susan was actually thinking the same thing. She was thinking of all the time they'd spend together. She was remembering seeing his face for the first time when he opened the door and let her and Edmund into the house where it was warm. She was remembering his voice when he said, "That's a nice dress." She willed herself not to cry. She belonged here in Narnia with Caspian. She wanted and needed to be here but if that were true why did she feel so lonely already? Would it be like this for the rest of her life? Or maybe the pain would fade after a while. She could only hope so.

Suddenly, the great doors swung open and everyone stood up from their pews and bowed. Side by side, in walked Aslan and Caspian. They walked in a steady pace up to the dais.

Caspian smiled at Susan. He was finally going to be King and she was here to see it. She smiled back and mouthed, "Congratulations."

Edmund got the heel of his boot stuck in a crack on the part of the dais where he was standing. He was struggling to get it out without disturbing the ceremony. Lucy noticed and put her hand to her mouth to hold back a giggle.

Aslan started on a speech about how being a King of Narnia was a great responsibly and honour. And how they must always look to the good kings and queens of the past for examples.

"Remember," Aslan said in a calm, sweet, deep voice. "King Frank the first king of Narnia, wise in his dealings. And the steadfastness of his wife Queen Helen. Remember, their children King Len of Archenland, Omar the second king of Narnia who governed wisely as well. Also recall to mind the lost children of theirs, Susan and Edmund." Aslan turned and nodded at them. "Who reined along side the High king Peter and his sister queen Lucy during the golden age."

There were a few gasps and mummers of, "Could it be true? Are they really the children of Frank and Helen? Where did the other two come from?" But they stopped after a few seconds.

"And now," Aslan said almost gravely but still with a tone of happiness under it. "It is the duty of the High King to pass on the crown to your new King, King Caspian."

Peter took the crown from the pillow that was being held by two fauns standing right below the dais, and handed it to Caspian. "The Narnian throne is yours now." He told him.

"Thank you." Caspian managed. It wasn't customary for the new king to say anything but he could tell this was a great sacrifice for Peter. And it wasn't just the crown either. He was giving up very nearly everything he held dear.

"You're welcome." Peter said, as he reached for the sword strapped to his side.

"He's going to fight him!" Some poor fool in the pews cried out before he was told to shut up and for the love of all that was good and holy to not be such an idiot.

Peter and Caspian both chuckled at the interruption. It was the first time they'd ever laughed together about anything. Almost everyone there was sure it was a sign of peace entering Narnia at last.

Rather than fight him, Peter handed Caspian the sword and said, "Every good King of Narnia needs one of these. All I ask is that you bear it well and wisely. Rhindon is not a weapon used for badness but a tool used for setting things right. I nearly forgot that at times. And also you must never forget to clean it-especially after you kill a wolf." Peter looked over at Susan as he said this and they smiled as if this was an inside joke between them. In fact, it was.

"I will be worthy of it." Caspian promised.

"I know." Peter said kindly. "That's why I'm giving it to you."

Edmund was still trying to get his boot free in the background of all this. Lucy was not holding onto his arm and pulling whenever he whispered, "Pull."

"It's really stuck." Lucy whispered to him.

"I know, pull harder!" Edmund shout-whispered back.

"I'm pulling as hard as I can." Lucy protested.

Caspian handed the crown to the Lion and then bowed as Aslan placed it on his head. It was at that moment that Edmund finally got loose and accidentally knocked Susan and Lucy (And himself) off the side of the dais onto the floor with a loud thud.

Everyone gasped and turned to look.

"I'm okay!" Lucy called up to reassure everyone she wasn't hurt.

"I'm going to kill you, Ed." Susan hissed at her brother.

"Ow." Edmund muttered. "Good thing I landed on something."

"Um, that would be me." Susan told him.

"Oh, Sorry." Edmund apologized.

"Walk if off." Aslan instructed them, clearly holding back a bit of rich Lion-laughter. "No one's hurt, you'll all be just fine."

Peter and Caspian rushed over to help them up. Caspian took Susan's hand and Peter took Lucy's. No one helped Edmund.

"Nice!" Edmund frowned at them as he got up on his own.

Aslan clapped his great paws together. "On with the feast!" He announced.

Everyone walked into the great ballroom where all kinds of wonderful food was spread out on long tables and soft sweet music played from a mixture of Telmarine musicians and the singing of Narnian dryads.

After everyone had had their fill of sweet sausages and spicy sausages, cream cakes, fine jams, pies, deer meat wrapped in fresh bacon, crab and cream cheese puffs, and garlic bread, they all started to dance about gleefully.

Lucy danced happily by herself as well as with a faun or dwarf whenever they asked to join her. Edmund stood on the side watching her dance. She turned and smiled at him. Then she waved her hand, signaling for him to join in.

"Alright, why not?" Edmund shrugged and joined her on the dance floor.

Caspian and Susan danced but Peter didn't. He stayed by the tables talking with Trumpkin and Reepicheep both of whom didn't seem the least included to get their groove on. Reepicheep was probably too dignified to consider dancing even in such a celebration.

After the feast and dancing, Aslan led them all outside of Miraz's castle. Then he let out a steady roar. The castle fell down to what could barely be called a ruin. It was more like a pile of old bricks.

Some of the Temarines were upset and said that the Lion was disrespecting their culture but they were out numbered by those telling them to hush and for goodness sake not to make such a fuss about a nasty old castle no one had ever really liked anyway.

They followed Aslan down through the woods and to the sea. (Some of the older Telmarines trembled and even cried real tears because of their fear of the woods) At the mouth of the sea on what had been an island but was none a peninsula again, there stood Cair Paravel, no longer a ruin but a beautiful capital once more.

Lucy let out a squeal of delight and grabbed squeezed Edmund's hand. He squeezed back and whispered, "Home at last."

Peter felt glad to be back home as well, even if it wasn't going to last.

Susan smiled at Caspian and asked what he thought of the place she'd grown up in for fifteen years.

"It's lovely." Was all he could say though he knew it was an understatement.

The rest of the dancing and eating and celebrating was carried out there at Cair Paravel. In the mist of all the laughter and joy, Edmund and Lucy slipped quietly away into one of the back corridors. Still breathless and laughing themselves they leaned back on the wall.

"Lucy I..." Edmund started not even sure what he was trying to say. He reached for her hand and took it in his.

She leaned forward, not sure what was about to happen until it actually did. One second they were standing very close, much closer than they'd ever stood before. Then the next their lips met.

They both broke away almost instantly in a fit of giggles.

"That was a tad weird." Edmund laughed.

"Yeah, it was." Lucy agreed, laughing pretty hard herself.

"But nice." Edmund had to admit.

Lucy nodded. "Very nice."

"Maybe it will be a little less weird when we're older." Edmund suggested. "We could try it again in a few years or so."

"I'd like that." Lucy told him, noticing he was blushing and realizing that she was blushing too.

"Come on." Edmund led her back into the ballroom. "Everyone's probably wondering where we are."

Hours passed and finally it was time for Aslan to send the Pevensies back into their own world. He roared at one of the walls in the castle it turned into a dark tunnel before their eyes.

"What say you, Queen Susan? Which world will you live in?" Aslan asked her.

For an answer, Susan slipped her hand into Caspian's. Caspian was overjoyed. She still loved him after all. She wasn't going to leave. And it wasn't just the treaty either. It was genuine.

"Very well then, Say you're goodbyes, kings and queens of old." Aslan told them kindly.

Lucy tightly embraced Trumpkin, Pattertwig, and even managed to give Reepicheep a light hug without embarrassing him by trying to cuddle.

She saved her final hugs for Aslan and Susan.

She wept into Aslan's mane and was reassured by a soft Lion-kiss on her cheek that everything would be fine.

"Goodbye, Lu." Susan told her. "I'll see you went you come back."

"I'll miss you terribly." Lucy told her in a choked up voice.

"I'll miss you too." Susan cried softly as she spoke she added in a low voice. "Take care of Peter for me alright?"

"I will." Lucy promised.

"So long." Edmund said trying not to cry as he gave his sister a stiff hug.

"Oh Ed!" Susan threw her arms around him and hugged him tighter. "That's my little brother, always trying to be tough."

He let himself cry now and clung more tightly to his sister. "I'll miss you so much."

"I'll miss you too Eddie." Susan risked calling him the nickname he rather disliked not sure when she'd ever get the chance again.

He gave her a playful poke. "Don't call me Eddie."

"Goodbye Peter." Susan said, wondering if he would hug her goodbye or not.

He did. And for a few moments he didn't let go. "Be happy." was all he said.

"You too." She whispered in his ear.

"I'll try." He promised her. "For you, I'll try."

And with that the three Pevensies going back to England turned around and walked through the dark tunnel.

Peter and Edmund didn't look back. But Lucy did. Not at her sister, Caspian, or even Reepicheep, but at Aslan. Taking in his great wonderful face one last time. Tears slid down her cheeks. It wasn't leaving Narnia that made her heart ache so terribly, it was leaving Aslan. She noticed, not without some surprise, that Aslan was crying too. Great glittering tears shone in his large cat-eyes.

Farewell, Lucy thought, farewell Aslan, until we meet again.


	20. The real call home

"Please Su, I've said sorry." eight year old Peter pleaded as seven year old Susan ran ahead of him into the house.

"I'm never talking to you again!" She turned and glared at him.

"Come on, you can't be that upset." Peter tried to reason with her.

Susan crossed her arms and her glare hardened. "You kicked sand in my face and called me a nasty little twit!" She stamped her foot and ran up the stairs, trying to get away from him.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way!" Peter protested, following her up the stairs only to have her slam a door in his face.

"Go away!" Susan shouted through the door.

"It's a compliment!" Peter blurted out.

Susan opened the door a crack. "Oh yeah? How?"

Peter thought it over for a moment. Nothing came to mind "I have no idea."

"Ugh!" She slammed the door in his face again.

At dinner that night, She wouldn't even look at him, not even when he pulled one of her pigtails, tapped her on the shoulder, or threw a lima bean at her head.

"Lucy," Susan said in a kind voice. After all, she was mad at Peter, not her. "Could you please pass the potatoes?"

"Peter's closer to them." Little sweet oblivious Lucy pointed out cheerfully.

"Edmund?" Susan looked to her brother.

"Um, I can't reach them without standing up." Edmund told her.

Rolling her eyes, Susan turned to Peter now. "Could you please pass the potatoes?" She said coldly.

"Here." He smiled and handed them to her.

How dare he smile at me after what he said this morning. Susan thought angrily. She frowned at him as she scooped the potatoes onto her plate.

Now years later in Narnia, Susan was remembering this as she sat in her old bedroom at Cair Paravel. It was still beautiful and it still had the nicest view in any world she'd ever visited but somehow, it didn't seem like home now. She sighed and pulled the curtain to the window she'd been looking out of shut. She'd known she was going to miss him, she just didn't realized how much.

Thinking of that day when they'd had their first big fight, Susan smiled to herself. They had been so young. She remembered how hard he worked to gain her forgiveness. It took two days of pleading and peace offerings but she forgave him in the end. And somehow now she could help but think that maybe, just maybe, he really had meant his insult as a compliment.

"Susan?" A voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Susan stood up and turned around. "Oh, it's you."

"Don't look so thrilled." Caspian said with a faint smile on his face.

"Sorry." She forced herself to smile back.

"What's wrong?" He asked, looking concerned.

"Nothing." Susan said even though she wasn't sure that was true.

"You're crying." He told her. "Crying implies something bad."

Susan lifted her hand and touched her cheek, wiping away a tear. She hadn't even realized she'd been crying until now. And yet, judging from the red eyes she could see in reflected in the mirror on the other side of the room, she'd been crying for a while.

"You miss him." Caspian said kindly.

Susan nodded. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He told her, "It's only natural, you knew him first. I didn't really have a chance did I?"

Susan shook her head. "You had a chance, there's nothing wrong with you, I do care for you..."

"...But you care for Peter more." Caspian finished for her.

"You're not upset?" Susan's voice was nearly a whisper.

"No, I am a little disappointed, but I just want you to be happy." Caspian explained. "And honestly, much as you might deny it, I don't think you're happy with me."

"Maybe you're right." Susan had to admit. "But what about all the things we said...all our plans?"

"I guess it's just time to make new ones." He shrugged sadly.

"Not that it matters." Susan sighed, sinking back into her chair by the window. "It's too late now."

"You do realize that Aslan didn't shut the tunnel yet, right?" Caspian told her with a genuine smile this time.

The words, 'He must have known what he was doing' rang through Susan's head. Aslan knew. He knew she couldn't live here and yet he gave her the choice. This way, she'd never have to wonder if she missed out on something great, something that would have brought her happiness. By not forcing her to go or stay, he was letting her figure out really mattered the most to her. What home really meant. What love really meant.

"Go on," Caspian told her giving her a light hug from the side. "You know you want to."

After giving him a quick kiss goodbye on the cheek, Susan raced down the stairs and into the room with the tunnel. As soon as she reached it, she dove into it head first.

Caspian had followed behind at a slower pace, just to see what would happen when she left. Instantly the wall closed up behind her. The link between worlds was gone. She was gone. She was gone and she wasn't coming back.

"A wise and selfless move." A rich deep Lion voice from behind him said.

He turned around and was face to face with Aslan. "Yes well, I guess she didn't really belong here."

Aslan nodded at him.

"I really wish she did though." Caspian admitted. "I would have given anything if it could have made her want to stay."

"Perhaps your future happiness was never meant to be with her as well." Aslan said, raising a golden eyebrow at him.

Caspian shook his head. "No Aslan, she was my first and only love, I don't think I'll ever find another in her place."

Suddenly a tall golden-haired girl in a long blue dress entered the room.

"Um, Hello?" Caspian had never seen her before. Was she a dryad or something? She clearly wasn't a Telmarine.

"Hello." She smiled at him.

It was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. It lit up the whole room like a candle.

"Can I help you?" He asked politely. Suddenly he couldn't feel his fingers.

"I hope so." She said, looking a little bewildered. "I'm looking for my father. We've come here from an island near the end of the world to visit the great court of Narnia, and he's gone and gotten himself lost. I can't find him anywhere. Could you help me look?"

"Of course!" Caspian blurted out. "What's his name?"

"Ramandu." She said.

"Alright, let's go find him." Caspian started to leave the room with her.

Aslan let out a chuckle and winked at him.

Caspian smiled at Ramandu's daughter as they walked side by side out into the corridor.

"My work here," The great Lion said to himself as he bounded out of an open window to the left of him. "is done."

Back at the Subway station in England, Lucy, Peter, and Edmund were sitting on the bench waiting for the subway, still breathless from their adventures in Narnia that had taken place barely a minute ago.

"Well, we have had a time." Peter said finally. It was the first thing he'd said since they'd come back.

"Yes, but what are we going to tell Mum and Dad about Susan?" Edmund wondered aloud. "They'll be sure to notice she's missing."

"I wonder why Aslan didn't think of that." Lucy said thoughtfully.

"Maybe it's because he likes to be asked and we didn't ask." Edmund came up with.

"That could be it." Lucy pondered on the new thought for a moment. "But I have the strangest feeling he had a reason for giving her that choice."

"For her to be happy of course." Peter said softly. "And she was happy with Caspian."

"I'm sorry, Peter." Lucy reached out to stroke the side of her brother's arm. "Will you be alright?"

"I don't have much choice, do I?" Peter said, not unkindly or sadly just in a very matter of fact tone.

Suddenly there was an annoyingly loud screech and the subway stood in front of them the door's opened wide.

"I guess this is it then." Edmund said as they all grabbed their books bags, suitcases, and play boxes.

"What do we do with Susan's things?" Lucy asked, gesturing to the suitcases and trunks in the middle of their pile.

"I don't know." Edmund shrugged, turning to Peter. "What do you think we should do?"

"We could take them with us." Peter tossed the strap of one of his bags over his right shoulder as he spoke.

"I could carry them." Lucy offered, reaching for Susan's things. "If we're taking them with us anyway."

"Here," Edmund took one of the heavier suitcases. "Let me help."

Soon they were all on the subway, their things piled beside them and the doors really to close. It was then that they heard a familiar voice calling out from the other end of the station and a familiar girl in her St. Finbar's uniform racing towards them.

"Peter!" Susan cried out just as the doors were closing.

Peter lunged for the doors but missed them. Edmund was faster, he stuck his hand between the doors (It did leave a slight bruise but he always said afterwards that it was well worth the pain) so that Peter could jump off and run over to Susan. He did however shoot Edmund a thank you glance before proceeding to run as fast as his legs would carry him.

He couldn't believe his eyes. Was what she doing here, running towards him at the English subway station? She was supposed to be in Narnia with Caspian. As he ran, he flung the shoulder strap of his bag off the side of his shoulder not wanting anything to slow him down.

When they finally reached one another, they met in a tight embrace. Neither had felt this happy in a long time.

"Susan." Peter whispered softly, still clinging on to her unable to will himself to let go. "You came back."

"Yes." She told him breathlessly. "I did."

"Why?" Was all he could think to say.

"Why do you think?" She whispered, looking up at him.

Peter still couldn't believe this was really happening. "Why on earth would you leave Narnia and a life as a queen, and come be some common english child, for _me_?"

"Because I love you." Susan told him. "Narnia isn't home with out you. I realized that after you left. I thought it was too late."

"Don't you ever do that to me again." Peter told her somewhat sharply although he was smiling while he said it.

"Do what?" Susan blinked in confusion.

"Leave me." He explained, laughing a little. "Don't ever leave me again."

"Well technically, you're the one who left..." Susan said practically.

"Well _you're_ the one who wanted to say behind and marry someone else." Peter reminded her.

"I wont leave you again." Susan promised. "Whatever happens to us from now on, we'll face it together."

An old lady with a flower patterned carpet bag, waiting for the next subway to arrive was watching them, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief.

"That's so beautiful." She bawled, blowing her nose loudly.

"Polly Plummer, are you crying again?" Another old lady teased her.

"No." Polly blurted out. "Well, yes. But look at them..."

Polly's friend looked over at the couple, still wrapped up in each other's arms. "Aw, that is sweet."

At that moment, Peter leaned forward and kissed Susan on the lips for the first time not having to feel worried about being caught. He didn't care who saw now. All of the people in the station could see and say whatever they wanted to but it didn't matter because, at last, the high king of Narnia had finally won the heart of his gentle queen.

"Wait until Digory hears about this." Polly said softly to herself. "I wonder if those are the same children he was telling me about the other day. I guess Narnia isn't the only place where miracles happen after all."

Meanwhile, the subway had already left the station with Edmund and Lucy on it.

"Can you believe she came back?" Lucy asked in a tone of awe.

"I think I'll still trying to wrap my mind around the idea." Edmund had to admit.

"I'm so happy for Peter." Lucy said with a smile. "I don't know what he would have done with out her."

Edmund nodded. "I don't know what I'd do if I ever had to leave you behind in Narnia."

Lucy blushed. "No worries about that, Ed."

"So, how the heck are Susan and Peter going to get to school now?" Edmund wondered aloud.

"They'll have to take the next one." Lucy shrugged trying not to laugh. "It looks like they'll be late after all."

"I don't think they care." Edmund grinned at her.

"Oh no!" Lucy cried out suddenly, looking a tad distressed.

Edmund's face dropped. "What is it?"

"Oh Ed, I'm so sorry." Lucy told him, looking very guilty. "I've left your new torch in Narnia!"

"Aw, man!" Edmund slapped his forehead.

-The End-


End file.
